Friday, April 18, 2008

• Today's Cycling Adventure

  I am SO proud of my ride today! I am generally a fair weather cyclist. Riding in the rain scares me, but of course I have to deal with the fact that I live in the rain capital of the world. So this morning Roy dropped Dulcy (the bike) and I off at work. He has a lock-in until midnight tonight with his students, and the easiest way was for me to cycle home. After all, the snow wasn't supposed to start until TOMORROW. By noon is was snowing up a STORM. (Heh. Yeah.) So I called him, "Uh. It's snowing. I've never ridden in the snow. I might need a way to get home."
  
  He called a friend who is also a district employee and mom of one of his kids and another teacher and arranged for them to spell him if he needed to get me. Problem was, I'd have to stay an extra two hours at work..on a Friday...after already going to work 40 minutes early.
  
  So I just decided that as long as it wasn't actively snowing heavily (which would translate to crazy snowblind PNW drivers), and there was no snow on the road I'd try. I would head to the trail. If it was too slick I'd just pull off into a coffee shop and wait it out until he could get me, but at least I'd try.
  
  Well I made it all the way home! It wasn't snowing as I started to get ready, so I figured "I'm going for it." I emailed him to let him know, got my gear on, thanked God that I had both hand AND foot warmers in my pack (always ready!), suited up, headed out and...wha!?? It's SNOWING again! Oh well! I've come this far.
  
  No real problems, except the neanderthal who felt the need to lay on his horn at me and yell for having the AUDACITY to be cycling on, what was apparently, his street. I didn't see his name on it, but maybe he lifted his leg on it or something yesterday and I wasn't aware. Asswipe. (I'm such a lady.) Dude you are passing me, the traffic is light, you have to actually only SEE me and maybe move to the far left of your lane for all of ten seconds. I think you need take a CHILL PILL! Of course it scared White Knuckle Tory about to death! So I willed myself to settle down because if I was tense, I was more likely to biff.
  
  Didn't biff. LOVED the trail all covered in snow on the sides (most of the trail itself was just wet). It was really foggy so I had to take of my glasses. Unfortunately I stupidly left my light on my hat last time I ran in the dark (not always prepared!) so I only had my front light. Saw a beautiful hawk in the tree and stopped to ogle him. Trail was TOO SHORT, though, and soon I was back in the city. North Everett, no snow! Yay! A bit of rain, but not bad. Got to Legion Park and called Roy to let him know I was fine and near the highway (which scares me and makes him nervous) and I'd message him when I got home safely.

  As soon as I started up again it started snowing and then it started HAILING! Big hail hitting me in the face! Glasses back on! You could put an eye out with that, Kid! I biked down to where it's easy access to get on the highway without having to lift the bike over the guard rail, hopped on and white knuckled it JUST a bit across. There are four bridges and the bridges have wooden slats on the walkway which are slick on a DRY day. Plus you can see the water and I always get this mental image of my bike slipping, sticking in the crack, and me pitching over the side into the Snohomish River only to be found by an innocent little boy ditching school for a day of fishing and peanut butter sandwiches. I really do NOT want to do that to a small child. (Or maybe I should stop reading so much Stephen King.) Last time I biked over the bridge I actually just skooched every time I was on the bridge (it's away from traffic so it wasn't bothering anyone) but this time I actually stayed on my seat, no skootching, and rode slowly. Hit all the bridges and my knuckles weren't nearly as white by the last one. I love the inbetweener part, though. It's a WIDE shoulder (like the width of a car lane) and it's flat and you can get going REALLY fast, which helps make up for taking the bridges at 3 mph.

  As I was coming into Marysville the hail turned into heavy freezing rain. Made it in, even had my KEY, and was amazed that I was actually not at ALL wet from the knees up. I had bought some rain gear on closeout last year and wow, it REALLY works. My shirt was completely dry, and the pants I had on under my rain pants and my bike shorts, dry, even my hair was dry. (I, um, wear a Spiderman cover over my helmet 'cause it gives me Spidey Powers.)

  Things I learned:

  • Need to have that light with me at all times.
  • Weather is a reason to be careful not completely cancel a ride.
    
  • Need some clear glasses so I can see in foggy and dark weather.
    
  • Need to pack one of my reflective vests in my gear because my rain gear is black.
  • I am not as big a wimp as I thought I was.

  Actually it made me realize that if I can face this fear (the biking thing) and overcome it to the point of respect. I do RESPECT that cycling can be a dangerous activity and that I must be on my watch at all times and keep my machine in good condition. Then maybe I can learn to respect swimming in triathlons and NOT have a panic attack during or before each swim. That's a VERY exciting thought to me!

  Now I am going to have coffee and watch the snow fall because you know how lovely a nice April snow can be! (WTF?!)
  

  • 8:09 PM
  • 58 views
  • 4 eprops
  • 4 comments