This entire past week has been just one mis-step after another for me. After spending Monday in Baltimore on business I really needed to get out and ride. Tuesday it rained all day so I elected (wisely in this instance) to drive to work. The forecast for Wednesday was cloudy with rain so I drove in again. Lo and behold the weather cleared up and it turned into a glorious mostly sunny day. Damn forecasters -I should have ridden my bike.
Thursday, I was all set to ride, pulled the bike out of the garage and the rain started to fall. Crap, looks like I’m driving again. Halfway to work the rain stops and there is no further rain the rest of the day.
OMG! Why did I let a little rain stop me? Friday we are beset with the remnants of tropical storm Nicole with heavy winds and rain, no riding today. At this point I haven’t even been on a bike for a week and I’m feeling fat and slow. So I ask myself, why did I let two perfectly good biking days slip past simply because of my fear of a little foul weather? I have decent rain gear, I should have just accepted it and plowed ahead. It’s just one more psychological barrier I need to get past. I’m sure once I get caught in a few good downpours I’ll just accept it as part of the process. Right now I am looking forward to this weekend; it’s supposed to be sunny and in the 60s, just perfect for a couple nice long rides on my road bike.
Well… after my experience this week, I'd say go easy on yourself. Bad weather can make biking more dangerous as well as a bit soggy.
I rode my bike to the store on Wednesday (which was actually a beautiful sunny day here in Denver) and got hit by a car while crossing a street on the way home. I'm fine… the idiot woman was turning left… the thing that really gets me is that she saw me and stopped. Then I paused because someone almost ran the red light. Somehow she assumed that I was stopping (in the middle of the intersection!?!) and wasn't going to continue! Anyhow, the next thing I knew she hit me.
Other than a few cuts and bruises, and sore muscles I'm fine, but my bike is out of commission for a while and I'm suffering from a bit of the "once bitten twice shy" syndrome. I must say I'm feeling quite glad that the cops gave her a nice fat ticket! I'm still pissed about the broken bottle of milk though… Guess I won't be getting that deposit back! I know there's some joke in there about crying over spilled milk… but now I have to drive to the store. whine.
Anyhow… I'd say go easy on yourself and don't push it in sub-optimal conditions. It's not worth getting killed over!
Perhaps deciding to drive rather than bike was really the better. Your overall judgement is at the higher end of the scale, so maybe a "something" in your subconscious was speaking to you.
Whoa, Beckster, sorry to hear about your brush with death. Drivers can be so completely clueless, but then again, so can cyclists. Did the driver offer to compensate you for the damages?
Ha! Somehow in her twisted logic, I was supposed to have stopped and "gone back" because the don't walk hand had started to blink. Fortunately, the police didn't see it that way! I decided it wasn't worth it to try to get restitution out of her because… well really, I bought the bike used 20 years ago for $100. My boyfriend thinks that with a new front wheel for $25 I'll be back in business. I must say though, that it gives me a bit of perverse pleasure knowing that the damages to her car will cost much more than that to repair!
Well, I rode to work (VA to MD) this morning and I was doubting my sanity before I got a third of the way there. Fortunately, the ride home was dry, but I have to say that riding in the rain just not that much fun.
I agree completely. I have foul weather gear in case I get caught out in the rain but I'm not really interested in riding in the rain if I can avoid it. Cold and sunny I can handle.
[...] though not seriously injured thankfully, by another driver making a left turn (see comments for Am I a Bike Commuting Wussy?). The sad fact is that most drivers in this country are simply not qualified to be behind the [...]