Apologies for the lack of updates for a few weeks. No real reason, just busy at work and enjoying time with Carolina.
Following the heat wave from a few weeks back, the weather has turned cooler and, especially last week, was more unsettled. See 'unsettled' read 'rainy'.
I got caught out a few times and as I've said before, I don't mind riding in the rain. Its a totally different mindset and one which isn't necessarily about drastically cutting your speed. With smooth inputs on the controls, there is still plenty of grip available and its a case of trusting whats beneath you. The bike will move around as the tyres move on the standing water, but you can still carry a decent pace and with decent rubber on, the grip is there. Visibility will be reduced and everybody around you will have slowed to a crawl and oil is a big issue, especially out on some rural roads. The ride is about maintaining your observations and being conservative. I not saying you can ride as swiftly as in the dry, far from it, but just because it's wet, it doesn't mean that there is nothing to learn or nothing to enjoy.
On a dryer note, yesterday Carolina and I had the opportunity to head to Poole Bike night together and having not been for a while, it seemed like the perfect opportunity. The weather was reasonable and the crowd was fairly large.
Following the heat wave from a few weeks back, the weather has turned cooler and, especially last week, was more unsettled. See 'unsettled' read 'rainy'.
I got caught out a few times and as I've said before, I don't mind riding in the rain. Its a totally different mindset and one which isn't necessarily about drastically cutting your speed. With smooth inputs on the controls, there is still plenty of grip available and its a case of trusting whats beneath you. The bike will move around as the tyres move on the standing water, but you can still carry a decent pace and with decent rubber on, the grip is there. Visibility will be reduced and everybody around you will have slowed to a crawl and oil is a big issue, especially out on some rural roads. The ride is about maintaining your observations and being conservative. I not saying you can ride as swiftly as in the dry, far from it, but just because it's wet, it doesn't mean that there is nothing to learn or nothing to enjoy.
On a dryer note, yesterday Carolina and I had the opportunity to head to Poole Bike night together and having not been for a while, it seemed like the perfect opportunity. The weather was reasonable and the crowd was fairly large.
Bike meets are funny places. They should be about heading down and seeing whats around, but often you see riders head down, park up, grab some chips or a cup of tea and then just sit by their bike looking at it in stoney silence. This makes me feel a little uncomfortable when wandering around look at them, especially if its something attractive, different or special and I want to take a quick picture. I don't know, maybe that's just me.
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