Soaked

So I went swimming at the forest preserve today.... well, not intentionally... I was out on one of my 2 lap rides and got caught in the rain. SERIOUS rain. I managed to make it to one of the pinic groves and hung out under one of the shelters with a few guys that worked for the county who were there collecting the trash. They were checking under the tables for Daddy Long Legs, and saw at least one under every table. Needless to say, I did NOT want to sit down. Then there was a break in the rain, so I headed out again, and another downpour started. I hate backtracking, so I pressed forward to the next picnic grove. By now I was soaked. Walking in wet sneakers is bad enough, but imagine riding in a pair of wet biking shorts with the built in butt cushion. Now I see why babies get diaper rash. I was sitting at the picnic table SHIVERING and wishing that I'd packed a fleece or something.

So I sat there freezing in shelter #2 for about 15 minutes, bored out of my mind because who would have thought I'd need reading material on a bike ride... And I didn't want to play games on my phone for fear of draining the battery.... So I just waited it out. When I hit the trail again, the sun came out and it got HOT. The water on the asphalt trail was steaming. The sun was beating down on me, and I was actually glad that I was soaking wet. Except for the squish squish squish of my shoes pushing against the pedals. Not a good day to have worn sneakers, especially with big thick athletic socks.

I finally made it home and into a nice hot shower, minimizing the risk for pneumonia. My bike is a mess of mud, dried leaf mush and who knows what else. I probably don't want to know. I guess now's a good time to learn proper bike cleaning techniques. Maybe I'll just borrow my neighbor's power washer *LOL*

Need to go to REI for more Camelbak Elixir and Clif Shot Blox. Maybe I'll ride to REI in the morning and then hit the trail on my way back. Only downfall is that the ride to REI is through a VERY busy part of town, big shopping area... probably safer to drive there, then come home and hit the trail :)

It's way past my bedtime... more tomorrow. Hopefully my morning ride will be less eventful :)