Roll to me...

"...it wont stop raining, Its the right time to roll to me..." - Del Amitri

Well they had it right, I cycled to and from work yesterday in possibly the worst weather I have encountered on my bike. I had entirely the wrong gear on, and to make matters worse was totally unprepared for it in the morning by missing breakfast.

You would think after all this training I wouldn't do anything that stupid. I did. Momentary lapse in cognitive abilities. It happens to us all sometimes.

Anyway, as the day progressed the weather got steadily worse until at night the rain was coming down in torrents. I knew I was going to get sweaty cycling home so a water proof jacket would only stop me being able to cool down and cause me to fatigue even quicker. So...there's me dressed in a cotton shirt, double thickness cotton three quarter length cargo shorts and my trainers.

Within a mile I was soaked to the bone, within two miles my clothes were water logged and had gained about 4kg in weight, that in itself isn't too bad, but wet clothes cling to you (specially when you have hairy legs like mine) and reduce mobility. Within 5 miles every down-stroke on the pedals issued forth a tidal wave of biblical proportions from the water trapped in my shoes and socks.

What made matters worse is the roads were busy, I had to cycle close to the kerb, and we all know that's where water collects, so not only was I being soaked from the rain above and the cars to the side, but also from the water being thrown up by my off-road tyres. Mud Guards would have been no use...I was leaving a wake in those puddles!

So what did I learn from that? well...carry spare gear in a SEALED plastic bag so it remains dry, and to cycle faster, much much faster.