Friday, July 19, 2013

Monday...

... rain again. More than a few people thought I was nuts for riding. But when I considered the option of driving all the way downtown, a vision of the stop-and-go traffic along 102 Avenue came to mind. I know it's only for a few minutes. I know that many commuters in other cities sit in stop-and-go traffic for an hour or more every single day. But the fact is, I'd rather be on my bike, cruising past the creeping vehicles, getting wet, than sitting behind the steering wheel. My almost-waterproof pants and jacket held up pretty well until about 1 km away from my destination. I was wearing my regular work clothes under my semi-waterproof layers, and I suddenly felt my pant legs and my sleeves below the elbow get very wet. Oh well, I was almost there. And wet clothes dry. I've thought about buying MEC's waterproof cycling wear, but when I went to the store they didn't have my size. And when I went online to order, the idea of spending so much money for only occasional very wet weather stopped me. Also, I have my doubts about the size 4 -- why don't they offer smaller sizes? Maybe one of these days I'll break down and fork out the big bucks, but on Monday, I settled for a good soaking. 

On rainy days, I usually eschew the River Valley route and ride on the city streets. This way I figure if I have a breakdown, I am near alternative modes of transport -- bus or taxi. So far it has never happened, but I like to think ahead. The on-street route is also shorter -- 7.5 instead of 9 K, so there is less time to get soaking wet.

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