Its gonna be close.
Let's go beat the Thunderstorm..
- Thread starter DRB
- Start date
I spotted a break in the clouds on the radar and went for it. Only got a few raindrops on the ride home 
Got in a skatepark session that I didn't expect to. Blessed with opposite wall slaps because of it.
So I hit the trails with a pretty good wind blowing and thunderstorms pretty much surrounding the trails where I was riding. I figured that at worse I would get a single lap in before the bottom dropped out.
So one lap weather holds, the sun is in and out with a smattering of rain and heavy winds. What the hell let's do a second lap and see what happens. At worse I get caught half way and its a 15 or 20 minute slog in the rain. Again the rain holds out off but the winds are still pretty strong.
And as usual this is were things went wrong..... I made 2 without issue I might as well go for a third and see what happens. Off I go, and at half way the thunder and lighting that was a ways off, now gets close REAL close. So close that when I pop across a small road by a lake, I see lighting hit the tree line on the opposite side of the lake. That's not good because I have to go over there. Still no rain but I can see it coming, so its on the gas.
Well this is where I "learn" a lesson I have "learned" a 1000 times, the wind is the real problem not the rain not the lighting. I come around a blind corner all flat tracked and sliding and much to my surprise a large limb as appeared where one wasn't before. So I hit the limb and launch. OOOF goes the air from my body. Lock goes my diaphragm indicating that no more air will be brought into my body for a few moments.
So as I'm lying there trying to remember how to breath, the rain which had been absent now becomes present in a big way. I sort of roll onto my side as not to drown in the deluge. As I get myself breathing again, its back on the bike. Luckly the next section of trail is pretty heavily forested so its not a complete washout yet, so I'm able to get some semblance of order back.
That quickly comes to a crashing end as come around a corner hit a root and its down again. Thankfully I get to keep breathing this time around. Up and back on the bike and go into full blown survival mode as the rain is continuing, the wind is still howling, thunder lighting still way too close and what the hell is that..... HAIL. You have to be fvcking kidding me.
Well I negotiate back thru the last part of the trail figuring the frogs and locust are bound to be next. Hit the parking lot and the shelter area. Where much to my surprise is my wife and daughter looking rather distraught. So as I roll up to the shelter, the rain and wind slacken, I notice that the thunder and lighting has moved on and be damned if the f'ing sun doesn't make an ever so small appearance. Or is that the flames coming from my wife's mouth......
Good ride or bad...... of course it was good.
So one lap weather holds, the sun is in and out with a smattering of rain and heavy winds. What the hell let's do a second lap and see what happens. At worse I get caught half way and its a 15 or 20 minute slog in the rain. Again the rain holds out off but the winds are still pretty strong.
And as usual this is were things went wrong..... I made 2 without issue I might as well go for a third and see what happens. Off I go, and at half way the thunder and lighting that was a ways off, now gets close REAL close. So close that when I pop across a small road by a lake, I see lighting hit the tree line on the opposite side of the lake. That's not good because I have to go over there. Still no rain but I can see it coming, so its on the gas.
Well this is where I "learn" a lesson I have "learned" a 1000 times, the wind is the real problem not the rain not the lighting. I come around a blind corner all flat tracked and sliding and much to my surprise a large limb as appeared where one wasn't before. So I hit the limb and launch. OOOF goes the air from my body. Lock goes my diaphragm indicating that no more air will be brought into my body for a few moments.
So as I'm lying there trying to remember how to breath, the rain which had been absent now becomes present in a big way. I sort of roll onto my side as not to drown in the deluge. As I get myself breathing again, its back on the bike. Luckly the next section of trail is pretty heavily forested so its not a complete washout yet, so I'm able to get some semblance of order back.
That quickly comes to a crashing end as come around a corner hit a root and its down again. Thankfully I get to keep breathing this time around. Up and back on the bike and go into full blown survival mode as the rain is continuing, the wind is still howling, thunder lighting still way too close and what the hell is that..... HAIL. You have to be fvcking kidding me.
Well I negotiate back thru the last part of the trail figuring the frogs and locust are bound to be next. Hit the parking lot and the shelter area. Where much to my surprise is my wife and daughter looking rather distraught. So as I roll up to the shelter, the rain and wind slacken, I notice that the thunder and lighting has moved on and be damned if the f'ing sun doesn't make an ever so small appearance. Or is that the flames coming from my wife's mouth......
Good ride or bad...... of course it was good.
