Such a deal! Somehow I am rather blessed. Not only did I get to ride in the rain during last month’s Beauty & the Beast ride in Tyler, but I got a second dose of rain today in the Moritz Chevrolet Ride for Heroes in Aledo.
It had already rained during the night and all the roads were wet. That alone could mean problems with a ride. Bikes don’t hydroplane, but they can slide. It wasn’t raining when we arrived at the Aledo High School. I got my packet and went back to the car to wait for more riders and light to appear. At about 7 AM, it started raining, hard.
I waited it out and hoped for the best. The rain slacked off, but didn’t quit altogether. More riders were showing up and some were getting their bikes out, so I followed suit. I had remembered this time to bring everything I could to help avoid water–booties, leggings, and rain jacket. Most others looked like they were sticking to riding in shorts and jerseys. Some had rain jackets. I was as ready as I could get.
We took off on time. I had resolved to run a shorter course, the question would be which one. They announced that the 34-mile course was extended to 39 because of road problems and that at least 1/3 of a mile would be on unpaved road. “It’s packed really good and it is ridable,” the announcer said. But guys, it’s raining. OK, mark off the 30-something mile route. It was down to 22, if the rain didn’t get bad.
The rain did stay light, but it never stopped. I stopped off at the first rest stop to see how others were fairing. The only smart person I saw was the young lady wearing a tri-suit, a triathlon outfit that is more swimsuit than bike shorts. That looked smart. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em, I guess.
After I got to about the 15 or 17 mile mark, I almost wished I had a swimsuit. The buckets unloaded. A solid frog strangling rain came up. I couldn’t see. I couldn’t gain good traction. I just hoped for it to end. I finally made it back to the stadium after about an hour and 45 minutes. I went straight to the car. Everything was soaked and I was glad it was over. By the way, when I got home, I discovered I had broken another spoke. Wonderful. I couldn’t have gotten wetter on one ride if I had gone swimming. But, it was still a good day riding.