Between the rain

I've been enjoying a sting of bike to work days. The recent joys are borderline sufficient to overcome my angst about riding in the rain. Well, the joys and new bright red LED taillight. Today I rolled the dice with persistent 60% chance of rain. Forecast showed rain moving in from southwest near the end of the morning commute. Racing rain and combating morning rush hour is a great recipe for success; what could go wrong? This all got me started and kicking earlier this morning. As I crossed I-40 my adversaries were clear with heavy traffic on the roads and rain clouds to the west.



My shadow gives away the crisp morning sun to the east. At least there was sun, at least there was a chance. Traffic cooperated and the miles ticked away. Crossing northeast creek and starting a long slow climb the ominous wind gusts started. Uphill headwind makes for great training. With three miles to go the clouds overtook the sun and provided a clear sense of urgency. Fast or wet - my choice.

Approaching the bottom of one of the steeper climbs on route I saw a familiar shadow at the crest. A fellow bike commuter was just approaching the summit. That was motivation enough to double down. I attacked the hill bent on beating the rain and catching the commuter. Gotta love motivation. Quads pushed and hammies pulled opposing pedals so pain peaked with altitude. My mark was clearly in sight. When I made out heavy mountain bike tires I felt the sun shine anew. Rolling resistance, the element of surprise, and the threat of rain were all in my favor. The great chase ended without any of the hyperbole of my dreams. I dropped into his slipstream and greeted with "Beautiful morning for a ride".

John was on his first 15 mile bike commute of the year. We exchanged pleasantries, routes, and destinations until our paths parted ways. Parallels as simple as sharing the same road build great camaraderie in the right conditions. Conditions are rarely wrong on the bike.

I cycled through the literal ups and downs of the last mile dry and optimistic. Garmin duly noted the aggressive climbing and strong headwind with appreciably higher calorie burn. It is a good day to be a bike commuter. Let it pour until time for the evening commute.