Man, I had about the best ride home that I’ve had in ages. It was raining, and the temperature was just about perfect. I was on my singlespeed road bike, and the stars aligned, the elements balanced, and it was jut fucking awesome is all. It was one of those nights when traffic was playing nicely, I felt pretty strong, and nonexistant balls were hauled.
Something about a good rain ride brings out the “vroom” in me. I think the humidity is agreeable to my lungs, and something about being pelted with rain is quite invigorating. In a warm rain, I’m given to really get my hard-pedalling groove on.
On the other hand a cold rain is an especial sort of misery. I had one of the number one most shitty rides of my life this past February or March, when I got caught in a torrential downpour on the way to Mickey’s Surplus in KCK. It was only just above freezing, and I got soaked through and through. It was my first trip out to Mickey’s, and predictably, I got a bit lost, and by the time I got there I was a drowned rat. I figured, “fuck it, I’m not gonna get any wetter” and went in, bought my socks (they have a great selection of wool socks, which have become kind of an obsession with me). On the way back home, however, the cold and the wet started to catch up with me, and I started shivering uncontrollably. Various muscles began to clench up spontaneously. My back, below my shoulderblades, felt like it had been punched repeatedly. Then I got a flat. I fixed it, then I got another. At that point, I was about three miles from Joel’s house, so I decided to detour there, and avail myself of his dryer and teakettle, and maybe wait out the storm. A change of clothes and a couple of brimming mugs of tea, and I felt human again, and managed the last six miles on home, but that stands on record as the most miserable, lousy, cold and shitty ride I’ve done to date. Also, I was riding the old Schwinn Suburban, which is not the wise cyclist’s top pick for ease of use, comfort, and suitability for distances.
Luckily, however, today’s ride was nothing like that ride to and from Mickey’s. It was fun, fun, fun, and I’d do it again, twice. Maybe it will be nice and rain like this again tomorrow.