Not So Bad
I left my rain pants and shoe covers at home today; consequently, I got pretty soaked, at least from the waist down, on my ride home in the chilly wet this evening. It was pretty miserable, especially where rain dripped down from my jacket front into my crotch, but all things considered, not so bad, really. I didn’t melt or anything, and as soon as I got home was able to change into warm dry clothes, so even the discomfort was relatively fleeting.
Grant Peterson of Rivendell fame says that it’s a good thing to occasionally be cold on a bike; I’m not sure I agree, but I did like feeling that I don’t have to be all geared up to ride in less-than-ideal conditions. It would have been a drag had I been headed somewhere that didn’t afford me the option of changing my pants and socks, but given my destination, it all worked out fine.
I was riding the Miyata, which has nice long mudflaps on the front fender, so my feet didn’t have it as bad as they might have. And that kept me from having the full experience of feeling like a frozen peasant that cold toes gives me. When we lived in Minnesota, it was the icy extremities that made me want to start speaking Russian and drinking vodka; so today, as long as I didn’t have water sloshing around in my boots, I could deal.
And what is the larger message to take from this?
There’s got to be a point about making do with less; maybe there’s also something about recognizing that what one dreads isn’t really as bad once you’re in it as it seemed beforehand.
The hills always look steeper from a distance; once you’re actually climbing them, the task is straightforward enough: just keep pedaling until you reach the top.
The hardest part of today’s ride wasn’t being soaked; it was just accepting the first few drops.
Grant Peterson of Rivendell fame says that it’s a good thing to occasionally be cold on a bike; I’m not sure I agree, but I did like feeling that I don’t have to be all geared up to ride in less-than-ideal conditions. It would have been a drag had I been headed somewhere that didn’t afford me the option of changing my pants and socks, but given my destination, it all worked out fine.
I was riding the Miyata, which has nice long mudflaps on the front fender, so my feet didn’t have it as bad as they might have. And that kept me from having the full experience of feeling like a frozen peasant that cold toes gives me. When we lived in Minnesota, it was the icy extremities that made me want to start speaking Russian and drinking vodka; so today, as long as I didn’t have water sloshing around in my boots, I could deal.
And what is the larger message to take from this?
There’s got to be a point about making do with less; maybe there’s also something about recognizing that what one dreads isn’t really as bad once you’re in it as it seemed beforehand.
The hills always look steeper from a distance; once you’re actually climbing them, the task is straightforward enough: just keep pedaling until you reach the top.
The hardest part of today’s ride wasn’t being soaked; it was just accepting the first few drops.
posted by Professor Dave at 6:58 PM
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