14 December 2007
Cycling in bad weather
Posted by todd under: Words from cycling sages .
“I shall never forget my first group ride in the U.S. After having lived and cycled most of my life in such rainy regions as Britain and Holland, I had made arrangements with some colleagues in California for a Sunday bike tour. At seven in the morning the phone rang: “There’s a 20% chance of rain, so we’ll have to call off the ride,” I was informed. That seemed a curious attitude and I went on the ride anyway, together with two other “hardy” cyclists. We had a wonderful day. It didn’t rain — after all with 80%, the odds were in our favor. But even if it had rained, we would have had a pretty good ride: though rain may distract from the pleasure of cycling, it is not usually so serious that it becomes punishment. And the same can be said for all kinds of other weather problems, ranging from snow to wind and from excessive heat to frost.”– The Bicycle Commuting Book by Rob Van der Plas
In fact, I almost ALWAYS wear one (while riding a bike anyway). (On the other hand, if YOU don't want to wear a helmet, I have no problem with it.) I don't remember what happened on this particular day. Fortunately for all of us it makes for a less-nerdly picture. My exceptionally talented professional photographer friend Charles Bertram took this photo.
I asked my 6-year-old son, Caleb, an avid bicyclist and artist, to draw a bike for me. I think he did a great job!
