What? Wet weather.

We determined to ride for an hour even with the threat of rain. At 12.6 miles, with an average speed of 13.9 mph, we didn't quite make our goal. Someone coming out of the church, before we began, said that it is sometimes more enjoyable to ride in the rain.

Attitudes toward bicycle riding in the rain are probably as numerous as riders. Many parts of the world, and some parts of our country, take rain in stride. If the local climate is wet, there is really no choice but to ride in rain. There are certainly many tools that a bicyclist can use to make rain more tolerable, if not enjoyable.

It is important to stay warm. Rain jackets and pants can hold moisture in so that the rider gets wet from a different direction. Some of the more sophisticated products "breath" and let body moisture out. A good quality rain jacket is probably the minimum that a bicycle rider in the rain needs. My experience is that the rider will be wet at some point in the rainy expedition. Keeping warm prevents the body from entering hypothermia. There are booties and shoe covers by the handful to choose from. An, "if all else fails" solution is to use empty bread sacks between socks and shoes. This won't necessarily keep you dry, but it will help stay warm. It becomes more important to be aware of drivers when it is raining since many don't expect to see bicyclists.