Week 30

Date
July 23rd, 2012

Distance
100 Miles

Time
6:14:54

Route Map/Profile

Weather

Cool temps and rain.

Picture

Rain ahead.

Ride Report
It's been awhile, but we had some rain here in Reno this week and I did some rare rain riding. I hadn't ridden in the rain since the Borrego Double in May. I actually like riding in the rain, and I don't just say that because I live in the desert and it's a rare occurrence. Back when I lived in Indiana I felt the same way. As long as the temperature is above 60 degrees or so, I've always enjoyed the ride and find it to be a calming experience. The one big negative is all the bike cleaning involved afterwards.

I chose an easier route (the same as Week 26) to avoid any long, wet descents. It started to rain on me in Washoe Valley and let up as I went through Carson City. I thought I might get a dry ride up 6 Mile Canyon, but as you can see from the picture above, that wasn't going to happen. The descent out of Virginia City on the truck route isn't steep or technical, so it wasn't too dangerous and I didn't get very cold on the way down.

The skies cleared as I rode back through Washoe Valley towards Reno. As you probably know, this is the toughest part of the ride for the bike itself. The rain washed away some of the chain lube and the wet roads left behind a nice layer of grit in its place. This is one of those times when I'm actually glad that my bike is older and not worth that much money. I don't have to worry much about things like riding in the rain, riding on a gravel road that might scratch my paint, or even crashing. My bike is cheap and has a ton of miles on it, and sometimes I actually wish something would happen to it so I'd have an excuse to get a new one.