Last night it did.
After work I hopped on the bike to take a ride. Near Calgary is some of the most scenic, breathtaking environment in the world. So, I thought, I might as well get some riding done in a nice place.
From Calgary, my destination was southwest of town to a place called Elbow Falls. There are some nice twisty roads and it makes for a nice couple of hours. Boy was I wrong.
Just as I was leaving town I saw a storm system rolling in. I had checked the weather before I left and it did warn of the storm, but I was really itching to go for a ride and know that on our world trip, there will be many days riding in poor weather. I put on my waterproof pants and set off.
I entered the storm soon after leaving town. A few drops of rain here and there at first, and then, with a crack of lightning, the sky unleashed itself on me. The tractor-trailer units that frequent this road became a new challenge. A wall of water would engulf me and the bike when I rode past. Visibility was poor and I kept my helmet tilted forward so the rain would fly off my visor faster. It worked surprisingly well.
The rain was getting more and more intense and I thought about turning back. I pulled off to the side of the road at an intersection, locking my rear tire and skidding to a stop over the slick pavement. I remembered to keep the wheel locked, and the bike stayed steady throughout. It was a good reminder how pavement changes when it's wet.
Through the clouds and rain I could see much lighter clouds further southwest, approximately above Elbow Falls - I decided to push on.
Arriving at Elbow Falls, there was just a light sprinkle of rain. I spent a few minutes admiring nature's course and got back in the saddle to head home.
Just like when I left town, the rain suddenly turned on like an emergency sprinkler. The sky was dark and I felt remarkably calm.
It's an interesting feeling riding whilst a lake is being thrown at you doing 100 km/h. I was dressed for the occasion wearing waterproof boots, pants and jacket, although I forgot to do up one of the waterproof zippers and got half of my shirt wet. My gloves were a complete joke. They claimed to be waterproof but I could swear they were wetter inside than out.
Coming back into the city was like entering a war zone. Cars were pulled over everywhere, roads were flooded, traffic lights were out. Perhaps foolishly, I kept riding. To be perfectly honest, I was having a great time. My biggest concern was the light show all around me. It was so intense I thought I was at a nightclub lit with strobe lights.
You know when you're a kid and your parents teach you to count the seconds between when you see the lightning and hear the thunder? The less time it takes to hear the thunder, the closer the lighting? When I was a boy I'd count, "one one thousand, two one thousand..." and so on. Last night it was more like, *Lightning*, "o..." and the thunder would crash down. I couldn't even start to count.
On a couple of occasions I plowed through puddles about 8 inches deep. The water splashed up onto my boots and legs. Remarkably, they stayed dry. Cars were creating small tidal waves on the roads as they were completely flooding. Dirt and gravel were being washed all over the road as well and it became quite slick. I rode carefully.
The final puddle I rode though was in my own parkade. It would be an understatement to say that I was happy to make it home relatively dry, and completely safe. I got up to my condo and peeled off my gear. I clinched a fist with my glove on and water poured out of it like a tap. Don't buy Joe Rocket 'waterproof' gloves.
This was perhaps one of the most challenging riding experiences I've had so far. Fortunately, I got more soaked walking into the office this morning than I did last night.
Here is a photo of the road I came into town on. I turned off of it about three km before this exit.
More to come...
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