I went to bed last night to thunder and lightening. Never a bad thing. However, I woke up to steady and solid rain. Not always a good thing. Especially on those days that I’d really like to get out and ride. Checking the weather, it looks like it’ll be raining on and off all day. While there’s still a chance it’ll clear up, I’m not holding my breath. I might have to figure out how to use the Edge on the rollers. Stationary training doesn’t really take advantage of the GPS portion of it, but it does have a standalone mode for those moments one doesn’t have satellite connectivity, so perhaps it won’t be a total washout.

The Triple Bypass is only 8 months and 21 days away, so I need to not start slacking off. I kinda have so far this month. That’ll be somewhat mitigated when I start commuting (another reason to want the rain to go away), but I’ll still need some good hill work that the commute route just doesn’t give me.

What I’m really looking forward to, especially on days like this when the rain is pouring down, and visibility is low, and drivers of Kansas City are irritated that they have to get a little damp, is the magnified anti-cyclist attitude I’m bound to encounter. Already viewed as an obstruction, a foreign object, an insect on the grill with no right to share the road by virtue of minimal horsepower, I can’t help but believe that the rain will simply make this attitude come forward with a vehemence. People tend to get a little edgy when you add slick roads and lowered visibility to the mix. Good lights and high profile reflectors are my friends.

When I rode the route on Saturday, it wasn’t so bad. While it was windy, it was sunny, and cars I encountered were by and large respectful and distant. During the early morning hours, however, just before rush hour really takes hold… well, rain or shine, I’ll have to be doubly on my guard.

In the immortal words of Jack Burton…

Just remember what ol’ Jack Burton does when the earth quakes, the poison arrows fall from the sky, and the pillars of Heaven shake. Yeah, Jack Burton just looks that big old storm right in the eye and says, “Give me your best shot. I can take it.”

– Jack Burton, Big Trouble in Little China