Rainy Bend OB

QUICK STATS	This Ride	2010 Cumulative
Distance	46.94 miles	3875 miles
Elevation Gain	2225 feet	42.53 miles
Average Moving Speed	15.91 mph	15.04 mph
Dog Bites	0	1

We had planned for the biggest ride of the week on this day. The rain changed all that. It started out cold and dry, and we both felt pretty good, having all the appropriate coverings on arms, legs, hands, ears and torsos.

Until the rain came somewhere around mile 20.

It started as a sprinkle, so I was hoping for the standard Central Oregon "rain" -- a drop every so often. My hopes were fading fast with a bona fide Western Oregon-esque rain. And even that wasn't so bad. But all hope was lost when the road became saturated. When that happens and you have no fenders you become as wet as the road, regardless of what you are wearing.

Sometime after the rain started I was thinking maybe we would ride through this little squall, so we forged ahead to Century Drive (about mile 26). At this point Amy (being the smart one) suggested we turn around. So we did. And the rain got worse, and it seemed much colder (probably due to riding faster on the gradual down gradients), and of course the road puddles were now impossible to avoid.

Thankfully the route back was a little more direct without much stopping and turning. I found that the best way to keep warm was simply pedal hard and keep the heart rate up. It definitely helped, but my hands and feet were still cold. In fact our hands were so cold it was difficult to change gears and/or use the brakes, not to mention that braking is less responsive with wet rims. As we were turning into Eagle Crest Amy discovered this and expertly decided to avoid the "high speed" turn on wet pavement by continuing straight until she slowed sufficiently.

On many of our rides Amy thinks of the food we'll be having at the end to inspire her to ride harder. For this ride our inspiration was the hot tub.

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