raining inside out

After many days of 100+ degree temperatures this morning a steady rain pulled the temperature down at least 10 degrees.

While riding in the rain is never my first choice it would be silly to think I can ride cross country without at least a few days of wet weather so this morning seemed like as good a time as any to go get wet.

My father had suggested using a poncho because it lets air flow near your body. Since I didn't plan to go far this morning I decided to try a rain suite I've had sitting in the closet for years.

The rain suite did a great job of keeping the rain from getting in! Just as dad predicted, it also did a great job of causing a downpour inside the suite. By the end of the first 30 minutes the suite was sticking to my skin leaving me at least as wet as if I hadn't used anything at all.

I relearned a couple of other lessons riding in the rain today. One, fenders really are worth the extra weight - between to stripe up my back and the steady flow of water to my face I would have gladly traded the extra pound for a little protection.

I also relearned how wonderful our body is at adapting versus most of the accessories we use. Clearly sunglasses were out of the question this morning so I tried using clear safety glasses for the ride. While they did a nice job of blocking the spray coming off my front tire, and the water drops did create a really interesting visual show, the lack of visibility relegated them to my pocket after about 10 minutes.