OK, maybe I am a fair weather cyclist...

When the alarm went off at 3:45 this morning I wasn't ready to get up, but knew it was time.  As I struggled awake I heard what sounded like water dripping.  I knew they had said there was a possibility of showers overnight, but they've said that before and it hasn't happened.  So I decided to check the radar map on my phone to see what was up.

I got on to Accuweather.com and zoomed into the Las Vegas area and lo and behold, there was a swath of greens and yellows across the area.  It really was raining this morning.  With that confirmation, I reset the alarm, rolled over and went back to sleep for an hour and a half.

When i again awoke at 5:15 I heard a definite steady drumming of rain on the roof, it was pouring at that moment, thus confirming that it would have been a wet ride if I had ventured out.

Now, let me assure you that it wasn't the fact that I might get wet that kept me from riding.  To meet my challenge last month I rode in a pretty significant rain as detailed here.  What I learned on that rainy ride, is what convinced me that riding in the rain, in the dark wasn't the best of ideas.

You see, when it rains, ones tires and wheels get wet.  Then wheels get wet, applied brakes, which rely on friction to stop, don't work nearly as well.  in fact one website I saw a while ago estimated their effectiveness at about 40%.  (OK, granted they were making a case for disk brakes, but still that number stuck with me).  Combine the lessened stopping power with reduced visibility and the propensity of at least one car pulling out in front of me in the mornings and I felt like it might be a recipe for disaster.  In this case I think I really made the right call.

So, no miles this morning, but perhaps a ride this evening after dinner might be in order depending on the evening's schedule, but that might not happen as its open house night at my grandsons' school and it will likely be a late dinner.  Have to wait and see how the evening unfolds.

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I am considering riding the 3 feet for Pete ride on Saturday morning.  Anyone else interested?

Get on Your Bikes and RIDE, but be safe out there!

August Challenge Day 19 Ride 19

The rain persisted on and off until about 3:30 this morning.  I know because it was raining at 10:00, it was raining at 2:00 and it was still sprinkling at 3:20 when I looked at the radar loop on my phone.  I was thinking that I would wait until after work to get my ride in today as I lay back down to try and get some sleep.

I kept thinking about how yesterday's ride was so short and mainly a token effort.  I thought about how the weather forecast was for more thunderstorms this afternoon and in all likelihood I would end up making only a token effort today.

I decided that for good or bad, I was getting up and riding this morning.  I am glad I did.

The roads were still wet when I got out there a little later than usual, but I decided to just start out nice and easy and see what I could do with the time I had.  There was a lot of sand and grit on the roads, especially on Quarterhorse by the construction site.

I did my first lap and thought to myself, "this isn't too bad."  The temperature was 73, and although a bit humid, it was nice riding weather.

I know I was slower than usual as I was taking it easy, but I decided 4 laps in that I could make the scheduled 10 laps in what time I had.  And that's what I did and I am happy.

Today's stats:

10.4 miles
48:31 Elapsed time

Month to date:

19/19 rides
136.2 Miles
10:55:36 elapsed time

Get on your bikes and ride!