Village Clinic Ride Day 17: “That’s What We Signed Up For”

Forecast for the day: 100% chance of rain with 30 mph winds from the southeast…exactly the direction we needed to travel. Should we have taken the day off and let the storm pass? Probably. Did we? No. We’re tough guys, or whatever. We wanted the experience of riding straight into pelting wind and rain.  

And that’s exactly what we got. The ride was only 28 miles with about 1000 feet of climbing. Still, it took us over four hours to reach our destination. The wind was by far the biggest problem, as it was so strong that we didn’t dare get up any speed for fear of being knocked sideways. And not for the first time, we discovered that when rain gear says “waterproof,” it seems to be more of a suggestion than a fact. Within the first hour we were thoroughly soaked. The low 50s temperatures were not a problem as long as we continued moving our legs, but every snack break did involve a bit of shivering. 

Still, the day wasn’t without its charms. There’s something really cool about watching a wall of wind disturb the skim of water on the pavement as it approaches you, and then feeling that same wall of wind slam into your bike and reduce your speed to 3 mph. Eventually, the weather did let up into more of a breezy drizzle, which allowed for more appreciation of the beautiful forests and coastline. We also encountered several fellow bike-packers who shared our plight. Everyone was cold but friendly. The day involved some hardship, but that’s what we signed up for. We’re nearly to the Oregon-California border, and it wouldn’t feel right if we managed to escape Oregon without experiencing at least one good storm.