Riding in the rain!

Fast moving water.
Click to enlarge.

Earlier today I read a question on bikeforums.net where someone was asking about whether or not they should go on tour despite the forecast of a week's worth of rain so when I bike commuted home on my longest road route in a steady rain today I had some time to really think about the question.

Most people seem to prefer riding on warm and sunny days when going on a bicycle touring adventure. I usually hope for sunshine when I tour too but I have to admit that I've had some mighty fine rides on days when the skies have opened and the water has poured down upon me.

With the right rain gear, some fenders and a positive attitude aimed towards enjoying yourself no matter what happens it is indeed very possible to enjoy a ride in the rain. When touring it is also important that you protect your dry clothing, your thermarest (or equivalent) and your sleeping bag so that no matter how rough the downpour you still have a dry bed and a change of warm clothing to look forward to. As long as you have that then you can probably handle just about anything that's thrown at you.

An interesting thing about the rain is that it can really brings beauty out as the trees, bushes, grasses and flowers soak up the water. Rivers, creeks and streams also fill up so that what would normally be a quiet and peaceful body of water becomes a raging torrent with some very beautiful rapids.

Some blooming flowers.
Click to enlarge.

If you have the opportunity to ride a bike path that goes through beautiful parkland then you will notice that the rain scares away the crowds leaving you to enjoy the surroundings in peace and quiet.

Right now it is spring in Ontario so the colours are especially vivid and after months of snow and ice you can't help but be overwhelmed by them.

What? You don't believe me?

Well the pictures on this page were all taken today while enjoying the rain falling around me. I took them with my handy water resistent Pentax Optio WR33. This camera is also my touring camera so that when I tour I can take pictures despite any storms that might be raging around me. I took a total of 93 pictures. Unfortunately I didn't put them all on this page for you to enjoy!

When I finally did arrive at home after playing around in the rain for over two hours my rain jacket, rain pants, gloves, helmet cover and boots were wet on the outside but I was still warm and dry on the inside plus I was filled with the satisfaction of a fun ride, some nice pictures and a few more memories.

A river crossing.
Click to enlarge.

It's scary to think that if I had been scared away by a little bit of rain then I would have missed all of this!

Back when I decided to go around Lake Erie I was greeted with a very intense rain shower on what was supposed to be the first day of my tour. When I say intense I mean that taking a shower indoors would have resulted in less water pressure then just standing outside with a bar of soap in my hand! Even worse the next four days were forecast for rain.

I discovered that in reality I dodged storms throughout that first day until I outran them. After that I actually stayed ahead of the storms until I reached the eastern end of the lake and headed back towards them causing me to experience thirty to sixty minutes of rain daily until I reached the western end. After that I was rain free all the way home!

So the next time you are looking at a long term forecast that calls for rain every day of your tour please consider your rain gear as well as your ability to keep important stuff dry. If these things are in place then think about going for it anyway. You may just enjoy it!

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