Riding in the rain

I had an internship conference in downtown Cedar Rapids today, so I set off about 10:10 on my bike for the 11 a.m. meeting.

It should have been about a 45-minute ride--and, despite a serious challenge allong the way--that's what it turned out to be.

The sky was partly cloudy, partly blue. There had been rain overnight, and there is a chance of rain tonight, but the forceast was for sunshine during the day. Sadly, the small chance of an isolated showever came to pass--about 10 minutes into my ride, the rain began to pour down.

The good news--it never got more intentense than a drizzle. The bad news--I could hear thunder, and I hate to be outside in a thuderstorm (a justified, I think, fear of lightning).

I got fairly soaked, but fortunately the rain grew less intense as I rode south. By the time I cut across the Coe College campus (take that, rival IPCA campus tours!), the rain was over.

My general rule of thumb for riding in the rain is "don't do it." My tires are fairly bald and I worry about slipping, and about whether drivers can see me.

The conference was at True North, a company located near Greene Square Park. I took the bike trail home, which was a longer route, but the sun was shining by then, and although it was very warm and very muggy, it was a nicer ride home.