this is the time of year for cold rainy day rides. i commute to and from the school i teach at and until recently - very recently in fact - i've been riding in shorts. temperatures are hovering around the single to low double-digits in celsius so it's been a manly character-building exercise in something that when asked to explain, i simply can't, not even to myself. i simple feel the need to do it.
however, those days are passing by as my hands now have gloves on them and my legs (no matter how hairy)
are also covered, by riding pants.
the bike looks out onto the driveway ."oh no. not again".....
yep! get your nose out there .....
it ain't gonna go away
and i've gotta ride.
every day, the road unfolds under my wheels. on these days when it's rainy and the roads are often slick with leaves, i read the road even more carefully than usual for anything that could make my ride -
and maybe even my life - less than pleasant . . . or worse!
but i'm careful and so (touch wood) nothing overly untoward happens.
i love the early morning streetlights reflecting in the rain on the streets.
they're the hidden gift of a rainy day ride for me.
i tell bicycle stories over at my other blog "cycles".
right now i'm wrapping up the day-by-day telling of my latest fundraising ride around lake ontario.
19 comments:
I enjoy your posts, Steven. I used to ride everywhere, but haven't lately since there is no commute, other than down the hall to my studio. Fun riding vicariously over your handle bars.
Paths of gold.
There is nothing to like about cold rainy days other than still being able to inhale and exhale, and several good cups of tea. I have hard core friends who don't even own a car- they bike no matter what- they are insane. BUT you take great photos- I can totally feel the rain and the chill of the morning!( I really can feel it, it's where I live...) Quite a talent to be able to ride in compromised weather and snap it at the same time!
But you're on the wrong side of the road Steven...
you'll need to be even more careful...
hello richard!!! i'm glad you could come along. i'm really glad for the rides to and from school - they clear my head, open my eyes and prepare me for the world at either end! steven
rachel - ever since i was a child growing up in england and i saw coloured lights in rain puddles i've loved the effect. steven
linda sue i wonder if it makes me hard core that i don't own a car. i don't even have a license - never have! wow hard core. feels good!!!
the cold and rainy days sometimes leave me wishing i was a driver and when it gets snowy i lean on those who are to help get me 'round. taking pics on a bike is a nasty habit that i practice a fair bit! that's why some of pics end up a little blurry - that's what it looks like through my shades - especially early in the morning!! steven
hello delwyn - the view's a lot different on the wrong side of the road!!! it's definitely worth a visit! steven
I can understand this. That you just need to do it, yes. I have things like that. This definitely must be character-building, and it also says a lot about your already-character.
I feel bad that I have not read about your fundraising trip, even though I participated. I want to.
I was leaving work Thursday, waiting for Inge to pick me up to go to the lake, and it was cold and rainy out. I watched a small woman in a skirt and boots get on a moped. She looked over at me and said, "I bet you don't envy me" as she put her helmet on. That was sort of true, and sort of not.
Blessings. Glad you're careful.
ruth - careful to a point, but life on city streets as a cyclist has become a lot better in terms of motorists taking better care of my place on the road! then also, i'm a lot smarter about when and how i ride. don't feel bad about not reading about the ride for africycle ruth! the posts will be there forever and will wait for you to read them and look at the pictures until you're ready!!!! steven
Real men ride to work in the rain ... or something. I love the pictures. Your bike really does look as if it's wondering why why why must it go out in the rain today.
Glide smoothly, go safely. xx
I love the image of the reluctant bicycle - in that moment your bike & I were in perfect accord. Of course that accord ended once you headed off on it :)
reya this poor bike has been my companion over fifteen thousand kilometres. through rain, snow, sun, wind. temperatures ranging from thirty celsius below to fourty celsius above. i have a deep affection and appreication for it that extends into intuitions about moments that it wishes it could just stay in the house and think bike thinks!!! steven
hello "the bug"!! i bet that bike is reluctant. it's seen wayyyy too much! i have another bike - a really nice carbon fibre racing bike - it gets treated with wayyy more care and respect. i wonder if they talk? hmmm. steven
Sadly my commute is too long for a bike, but I certainly enjoy yours!
Just be careful.
hope - mine's eight km to school and ten km home. i make my home route longer to take in the scenery!!! i'm glad you're right there alongside me. steven
I used to bike every day. I even spent two weeks biking around the island of Shikoku. I thought that when I returned from Japan I would bike to work every day. Then I had kids and it never seemed realistic to go grocery shopping with a baby on my bike. I love that you are hard core!
If I didn't live an hour and a half drive from work (yup, yikes!) this might inspire me to ride in the rain to work. Glorious images, glowing reflections, I can feel the cool air on your skin and that fully-oxygenated high of exercise.
i don't even possess a license - in no way have! wow difficult core. feels good
What can we do when we have much free time? How about to play the online games? When we talk about the online game, we have to talk about the WOW Gold? Because the WOW is the world's most famous online game, every one knows that we have to get the Cheap WOW Gold to save money !
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