Pedal Strike

Like any good cyclist, I have dreams of Portland, OR.

Never mind that I’ve never been there, or that I hate rain, or that a city overflowing with cyclists is more than a little bit intimidating. It’s the ultimate destination for anyone who is completely obsessed with cycling, even if, like me, they can barely stay on a bike.

I’ve been having doubts about the rain, though. Because lately, Boston feels like PDX.

There was a weekend and a day of sunshine, and now it’s back to unusually low temperatures with accompanying rain. Which should mean more preparation to just get to work. But have I told you that I’m incredibly lazy? Because when it starts to drizzle, then rain, I’ll foolishly choose to bike through it, even with a raincoat in my bag.

“It’s not that bad,” I kept telling myself. Then 4/5s of the way there, it finally dawned on me. It’s fucking raining. Not like showers, or drizzle, but straight up motherfucking rain. And I was drenched.

Barely able to keep a decent grip on slippery brakes and hoods [gloves, like chamois shorts, are yet another item on the “to purchase” list that consistently gets deprioritized for bike parts], I attempted to wipe my hands on a damp t-shirt while sliding around the Public Garden. Goosebumps were running up and down my arms and water was dripping down from my elbows. Great.

I arrived at work, cold, wet, and already miserable. Coffee hit the spot and once again I was grateful to be changing into a long sleeved shirt. Sheltered for most of the day behind a desk, I headed out to the gym under suspiciously gray skies. And once again, emerged from an intensely sweaty run to a sky that had turned blue and clear, the weather dry but cool. Perfect bike riding weather, in fact, if my legs weren’t already dead.

Maybe this is just a preview of a future in Portland. Maybe the powers that be are conditioning me for the rainy, seemingly schizophrenic weather way out west. One can only hope, I suppose.

In the meantime, it’s July. Can we get to the part where the sun’s shining and it’s not pouring every other day?

Tags:   boston · lazy · pdx · portland · rain · slippery · wet4 Comments