Rain, Rain Go Away Until December
Winter in California was wonderful— dry trails through February. But March has been a constant riding headache, with cool temperatures and rain, rain, rain.
It’s very hard to train in rain. While I can dress and stay half-dry for 45 minutes or so, after that the sweat competes with the rain to determine which way can get me soaked faster. And boy am I tired of dropping a soggy mess of clothes into the wash, and hosing the grit off my bike (but the Psychlo X RSL makes a good rain bike!).
This has been the most difficult March for training that I can remember.
Today, for example, I got all ready to go, got food and water on the bike, pumped up the tires, got on the road— 2 minutes later a squall arrives with pounding rain. Chastened, I raced back home and took shelter. About 3 hours later, the strong winds actually made the roads dry again, so I got a 90-minute ride in. Just as I was safely inside, another drenching squall drenched everything (I was safely inside).
If it weren’t for other obligations, I’d jump in my car and head to Death Valley for two few weeks, enjoying the dry and warm riding!
Cold is much easier to deal with than rain.