Mo rain, mo wind, mo mud. No problems.
Cycling, in general, is more pleasurable in good conditions. That’s simply a given. But if we chose to only ride in fine conditions, many of us would miss out on countless rides and experiences. Worse still, we may be labeled ‘fair weather cyclists’.
And that’s not a label I want. I’m a marathon mountain-bike racer.
Over the past fortnight, the Greater Sydney region has experienced a lot of rain. We all grumble and complain, but to be honest, it does rain a lot here. Not English rain that comes and goes and doesn’t do much. We get downpours of biblical proportions. Even if you’re caught 20 metres from shelter, you will be wet through.
So although I shirked quite a few training sessions this week, a good Saturday morning session had to be done. A meeting place and time was lined up with a colleague – ‘PT’ (Part Time) Brock. Despite a bad prognosis on the rainfall radar, we pig headedly rode south, into the maw of a rainstorm. Yes, it was a bunch road ride. However the usual 50+ bunch had been washed out to leave a determined seven. As we approached the airport tunnel, ready to hit warp speed in an attempt to appease impatient motorists, PT Brock was philosophical about the approaching wall of rain.
“It’s because we love it. I mean, we just love riding our bikes. Hardly anyone is out this morning. So what if it’s a bit wet? I just love riding my bike! We both love riding our bikes. This is awesome!”
At the time I wasn’t entirely convinced, and I was thinking about where a logical place to turn around could be. But PT Brock’s enthusiasm was somewhat contagious.
“In a few months time, when we’re both flying, we won’t even remember the hard times like this. We will be stomping and just getting better and better. I want to be pro, and this sort of stuff can’t be an excuse!”
And that enthusiasm barely diminished as we rolled further south, through sheets of water and low visibility. PT Brock had a strong point – I so love riding my bike; he loves riding his bike; and the others who were out despite the weather are obviously pretty keen to be riding their bikes. The ebb and flow of motivation cannot always be in time with the weather system, but it doesn’t matter when you love it. It was good to get out this morning. I’m looking forward to hard hours on the new 29er tomorrow, and a few more good sessions through the wet week ahead too.
Good weather, bad weather. Each one comes and goes. But riding, and the love of mountain-biking and marathon racing is a constant. We do it because we love it, and rain shouldn’t keep you off your bike. Skin is waterproof after all!
