Cycling in Sydney Australia
Anyone ride today?
Was anyone brave enough to ride today? I hate being thought of as a Fair Weather Princess but this torrential rain has shown I do have limits.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jen on -
+1 to playing in puddles. Riding in the rain is good excuse for playing in the water.
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Permalink Reply by Carlin on -
The 'crazy' bit does it for me. I tend to be that little bit more in the moment when riding in the rain, concentrating on bike handling, less distracted, in 'the zone'. That's part of the fun.
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Permalink Reply by Robbiejuve on -
Nah worse thing about rain is getting back into your wet riding clothes to ride back home after work, feels yuck.
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Permalink Reply by Si on -
I don't love it. I just don't mind it.
Yeah, safety concerns. Ride to the conditions. Good lights. Take the longer safer route.
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Permalink Reply by Dan on -
A cap (under the helmet, if you wear one) helps with rain on the glasses.
The safety concerns are perhaps more imagined than real - just a case of getting used to it. Ride more carefully, take off-road paths where necessary. Leave more space for braking. Pavements work well in the rain, as there are fewer pedestrians.
Motorists can be a bit more crazy in the rain, but in really heavy rain it's usually OK; I find light rain actually more problematic as the roads tend to be more slippery (as the rain mixes with oil on the road) and cars don't slow down. Heavy rain washes the oil away, and cars do tend to slow down. This morning, they were mostly stationary!
For me, though, it's also a mind set thing. If you consider rain as something you need to avoid, then it's hard to enjoy riding in it. However, if you see rain as an experience to be enjoyed, then it's all good. Put waterproofs on if you want, or just go out and get wet (it's rarely that cold in Sydney, esp for a short ride). And laugh at the water that goes down your neck. Ride slow, ride safe, avoid the cars if you're nervous about traffic, and laugh, knowing you are experiencing something magical that has been part of life for millions of years that your fellow Sydneysiders are missing out on.
On a practical note, I find keeping my feet dry almost impossible. Tried all sorts of things. So this morning I didn't bother, and wore head to toe gore-tex with and thongs. Worked a treat, and I don't have to put wet shoes back on tonight.
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Permalink Reply by Paul on -
...because the alternative is much much worse than getting a bit wet, as many a commuter discovered this morning.
Rain/Hail/Shine my commute time is pretty consistent, with the only variable as such being traffic lights and localised flooding (requiring slightly longer alternate routes).
The last few times I piked on riding in the rain, I got a bus that didn't show up in the morning. It then took 90 minutes to get to work (vs 65 minutes by bicycle). Coming home was worse. M2 closed due to accident, commute home took 2 hours.
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Permalink Reply by kirby on -
yeah given up trying to beat the half hour trip, just want to get home. It's not like anyones waiting to give me a yellow jersey or anything.
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Permalink Reply by timothy.clifford on -
Consult The Rules - #9
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Permalink Reply by Trevor on -
Thoroughly wet and lovin' it. As I like to tell the blokes that larf at me in this weather; "My pussy-cat doesn't like the rain, either, mate"
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Permalink Reply by Bob Moore on -
Bureau radar showing the low off the coast very well just now, on the Loop mode, 128 km range.
http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDR713.loop.shtml#skip
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Permalink Reply by robflyte on -
"The greater the suffering, the greater the pleasure. That is nature's payback to riders for the homage they pay her by suffering. Velvet pillows, safari parks, sunglasses; people have become woolly mice. They still have bodies that can walk for five days and four nights through a desert of snow, without food, but they accept praise for having taken a one-hour bicycle ride. 'Good for you.' Instead of expressing their gratitude for the rain by getting wet, people walk around with umbrellas. Nature is an old lady with few friends these days, and those who wish to make use of her charms, she rewards passionately."
The Rider by Tim Krabbé.
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