Man, riding a bike in the rain. Some folks act like it’s some kind of epic adventure. For me? It’s mostly been about trying to just get where I’m going without ending up sprawled on the wet asphalt. Not always successful on the ‘staying dry’ part, mind you.
That One Afternoon I Won’t Forget
I remember this one particular afternoon, I was biking back from a friend’s place. The sky had that weird, heavy look, but no rain when I set off. Typical, right? About halfway home, it was like someone flipped a switch. The heavens just opened up. And I mean, it poured. I had a flimsy jacket, but that was useless in about two minutes. Soaked right through.
You learn real fast in those situations. Those painted white lines on the road? Suddenly, they feel like they’re greased. And manhole covers, oh boy. I swear, they design those things to be extra slippery when wet. I nearly had my front wheel slide out from under me more than once trying to avoid one I saw too late. You’ve got to be so much more gentle with everything. When you accelerate, you do it slow. Braking? Feather it, don’t grab it like you’re panicking, even if you are a little. Turning? Yeah, take those corners wide and easy. I learned that the hard way, nearly skidding into the curb because I tried to turn like it was a sunny day.
And the visibility, don’t even get me started. It just goes to pot. It’s hard enough for drivers to see cyclists sometimes, but in the pouring rain? You might as well be invisible. I had these tiny little lights back then, barely enough to be legal, definitely not enough to actually see much or be seen properly. It felt like I was riding through a car wash. Honestly, having a decent bright front light to see the potholes filling with water and a good red flasher on the back isn’t just a good idea, it’s basic survival. Otherwise, you’re just asking for trouble.
- I definitely started giving cars a lot more room.
- My eyes were glued to the road surface, looking for those shiny, slick spots.
- And yeah, speed? What speed? I was crawling.
So, is it safe to ride your bike when it’s bucketing down? Well, not really, is it? If you can avoid it, you probably should. It’s one of those things. Sometimes you get caught out, or sometimes you just have to get somewhere. I got home that day feeling like a drowned rat, shivering, clothes sticking to me, but hey, I made it. Definitely made me appreciate a hot shower and dry clothes more than ever. And it made me think twice about checking the weather forecast before heading out for a long ride. Still, every now and then, you just get caught. That’s just how it goes, I guess.
