Not the most fun I've had on a bike..

sampras38

Had a pretty awful experience at the weekend. Went out on a 60 miler on my own in the wrong clothing, and boy did I pay the price..

It was due to rain Sunday at some point but I took the chance and went out in dry weather clothing and a pair of those light woolly defeet gloves from Prendas. Heavens opened and gale force winds arrive around 40 miles in and I'm stuck in it 20 miles from home. Got absolutely soaked through and nearly got blown under a bus. gloves were so wet and cold I got pins n needles in the hands so couldn't grip the bars or pull the brakes properly. Pretty dodgy in busy traffic where you can hardly see anyway because of the rain. i should have stayed home on the trainer but I was just desperate to get out on a ride.

Not the most fun I've had on a bike..

Anyone else had the pins n needles, as I can't remember it ever happening to me before, at least not as an adult.

Pokerface

On days when I think it MAY rain but still want to go ride - I do a circuit close to home. It's shorter than my usual ride but I'll ride it a few times.

That way - if it DOES start to rain, I'm a lot closer to home.

Happened to me yesterday - was out riding and it started to pour. At one point I was sailing down a hill at 30MPH and could barely see. Stinging rain, soaked through my clothes and the wind blowing through me.

Could hardly feel anything by the time I got home. Which fortunately for me - was only 15 minutes later.

salsarider79

Ah, but did you still have food and water? I always seem to ride about 10miles to far...

sampras38

Pokerface wrote:

On days when I think it MAY rain but still want to go ride - I do a circuit close to home. It's shorter than my usual ride but I'll ride it a few times.

That way - if it DOES start to rain, I'm a lot closer to home.

Happened to me yesterday - was out riding and it started to pour. At one point I was sailing down a hill at 30MPH and could barely see. Stinging rain, soaked through my clothes and the wind blowing through me.

Could hardly feel anything by the time I got home. Which fortunately for me - was only 15 minutes later.

Yep, I had planned on doing the local route and wish I had of done now..;-)

sampras38

salsarider79 wrote:

Ah, but did you still have food and water? I always seem to ride about 10miles to far...

I did yes...never been caught short yet..touch wood.

mattward1979

Had the tinglies in my feet but never hands even with no gloves... thats pretty crappy!!

My worst bike day was during the near monsoon and gale force winds that rocked London/kent a few weeks back....

Headed off to work in moderate weather and all was well in the world....
Stepped out of work and it was BIBLICAL!! seriously, if I saw the horsemen of the apocalypse circling me I wouldnt have been suprised.

SO yeah it SUCKED! Heavy rain, dressed for dry conditions, no wind protective stuff at all.
And half way home, down what is usually a Lovely downhill stretch, the road is flooded, so I dismount and walk the pavement, checking behind and forward for any traffic...

No one was there, but this COCK has obviously seen me and accelerated so that he hit the water just as I passed, needless to say myself and my bike were now 100% soaked through, I couldnt breathe it was that cold...

I jumped on my bike and tried to catch up to the driver at the next set of lights, but to add insult to injury, the wind was in my face so even in a low gear I was going nowhere.

I have no shame in saying had I caught him, Id have battered the living crap out of him.

tri-sexual

"not the most fun i've had on a bike"

any day i manage to stay on a bike is a result
its when i come off that the fun stops

sampras38

mattward1979 wrote:

Had the tinglies in my feet but never hands even with no gloves... thats pretty crappy!!

My worst bike day was during the near monsoon and gale force winds that rocked London/kent a few weeks back....

Headed off to work in moderate weather and all was well in the world....
Stepped out of work and it was BIBLICAL!! seriously, if I saw the horsemen of the apocalypse circling me I wouldnt have been suprised.

SO yeah it SUCKED! Heavy rain, dressed for dry conditions, no wind protective stuff at all.
And half way home, down what is usually a Lovely downhill stretch, the road is flooded, so I dismount and walk the pavement, checking behind and forward for any traffic...

No one was there, but this fool has obviously seen me and accelerated so that he hit the water just as I passed, needless to say myself and my bike were now 100% soaked through, I couldnt breathe it was that cold...

I jumped on my bike and tried to catch up to the driver at the next set of lights, but to add insult to injury, the wind was in my face so even in a low gear I was going nowhere.

I have no shame in saying had I caught him, Id have battered the living crap out of him.

Yeah, it wasn't nice. In hindsight I might have been able to avoid tingles if I'd just taken the wet gloves off. They were so wet it was as if I'd dunked both hands in a bucket of water.

Tom Butcher

The worst I've ever been was the Long Eaton reliabiliity some years ago. First time I'd ever ridden a reliability. Headed out a little late so had to hammer it all the way there - still reliability rides are steady aren't they - so not too concerned about stamina.

Set off and pretty soon it's hammering with rain and I'm sitting on the back of a big group just on my limit - far from being steady there are local semi pros and first cats pushing it along - spray getting thrown into my face so limited visibility and having to bridge gaps as people slide off the back. From Ashbourne it gets hilly and the group splits and I'm off the back in a small group with 40 miles to go. The rest of the ride is done in a group as hard as we can manage - through and off but nobody with much left - it's about survival. Arrive back in Long Eaton absolutely drained, frozen and soaked. Hands were so numb that when I took my gloves off I couldn't for the life of me get them back on and had to ride the 12-13 miles home with bare hands - I have some money but the thought of stopping for a drink and a mars bar just seems like delaying the torture til I can get home, dry and warm. In retrospect one of the best days on a bike I've had !

nolf

Polka dot sportive this year.
If you were there you will agree.