I hate riding in the rain so I'd been keeping a good eye on the forecast for my Sunday ride.
I'd thought about going out on Saturday and having my rest day on Sunday instead, but decided to harden up and follow the program. Trouble is, the plan included some hill work.
I was a bit anxious about taking the road bike up the hill in the rain because I didn't like the idea of having barely-effective brakes on the way back down. But I figured they should be OK and I can always get off and walk if I need to.
I did a 15km warmup on the flat first, then called in home to change my socks and put on the booties I'd taken out but forgotten to put on. Then up the hill I went. I enjoy climbing so I just sat in and took it fairly easy to make sure I don't make my legs any worse - they are still recovering from the marathon injuries.
Once I was at the Sign of the Kiwi I turned left and headed out along the Summit Rd. I'd normally turn right but the thought of wet cattle stops was just pushing the risk factor a bit too far.
Because my speed sensor is on the blink once again I'd predetermined a turnaround point using mapmyride. I got out there, turned around, had a quick comfort stop and started heading back. Saw a few runners up there enjoying the good running weather. No other cyclists though. What a bunch of pussies they are.
When I got back to Sign of the Kiwi I pulled over and wrung the water out of my gloves again. I'm still looking for a nice light pair of weatherproof riding gloves, or at least some covers for my existing gloves that aren't mittens. I may have to make some if I can find a suitable fabric. Then I gingerly set off back down Dyers Pass Rd.
The brakes were doing what they needed to do and I was keeping the speed well under control as I really didn't want to push my luck up there. My sight wasn't too good with rain on the glasses and there can be cracks & holes anywhere on these roads. But at least I had the confidence that I could keep my speed under control, even on the steeper sections as you come down towards Sign of the Takahe.
Once I arrived at Sign of the Takahe I stopped again to wring the gloves out, and realised I'd been getting pretty cold. A bit too cold, despite the fact I was wearing a Goretex jacket. I had considered wearing my weatherproof trousers but thought I'd overheat so I just had my riding tights on which are pretty good against the wind. They had soaked through enough that my legs were getting cold as well as my fingers and my feet. And with no effort going in on the downhill I wasn't generating enough body heat to keep warm.
I've had a bit of hypothermia before when I did the Hanmer Duathlon a few years back so I knew I needed to be careful. I decided I was going to have to cut out the 15km flat loop I had planned to do after coming off the hill and just head straight home. Trouble is I still had 200m of altitude to lose and it wasn't going to make me any warmer.
I was pretty glad to get to the bottom of the hill - partly so I could finally relax my hands after all that braking, and also because it meant I could put some effort in again and generate some body heat.
It's only a few km to get home from the bottom of the hill so I made short work of both the distance and a hot chocolate as soon as I'd arrived. Once I'd put some dry clothes on and had some food I managed to warm up again so I headed off to the pool for my swim session. Good times.
So it's another lesson learned from the school of hard knocks: don't ride hills when the weather is cold & wet. But I'd love to find some riding gloves that can actually keep the rain out.
