I\’m biking in the rain; to paraphrase the song.

But I don\’t really feel like singing when I\’m out for a ride and it begins to pour. Even if I have a poncho with me, I\’m soaked by the time I can get into it.

In warm weather, vigorous exercise and a plastic covering are not a good mix; I get too hot. If I put on the poncho but don\’t pull its hood over my head, the rain runs down inside the poncho\’s neck opening and I get wet through anyhow. It\’s like not having a poncho at all.

If it\’s dark as well as raining, reduced visibility is a problem. It\’s especially bad when I have hard efforts planned. Sometimes, however briefly, I get up to 21 mph; and I worry more than usual about the people who are out there with no lights; nothing reflective; and wearing dark clothing.

Or course sometimes the rain catches me when I\’m already out riding. Somehow that doesn\’t seem as bad as starting a ride in the rain. Maybe it\’s because I can be philosophical about the former. I can\’t do a thing to stop the rain; so I\’ve got to keep biking in the rain if I want to get back home. In addition, I\’ve gotten some endorphins in my system to help combat the wet-weather blues.

There are times when we get a long streak of rain-free days. Then again, we\’ll get seemingly endless spells of rain every day. If the only way I can get my ride is to get wet, I\’ll just have to get wet. And be sure I have a lot of spare socks on hand.