velotel
12-30-2013, 02:08 PM
Saturday afternoon decided to ride. Nothing important, just my usual plateau out and back. Something to move the bod, flex the muscles, clear the head. Wasn’t raining which is what they’d called for. Like heavy rain. Fine by me, relatively warm, as in not freezing. Dressed for rain anyway. I stay warmer that way, no wind penetration. Which there was, wind that is. Blowing hard with gusts from time to time moving me sideways. Most of the time the wind was on my back and I flew. The speed felt and I ended up riding further than I’d thought I would. Finally turned around knowing the return would be fighting the wind all the way.
Soon as I’d turned around got hit by drops. A light dusting, no big deal. Then again maybe a big deal indeed because when I hit a corner where I could see a good bit of the plateau stretching out into the distance, I also saw what looked a lot like a wall of water moving my way. Hit the long downhill into St B that’s usually a screamer in the speed department. Not this time. Wind doped up generously with water right in the face. But still perfectly bearable.
Got to St H and the rain factor had moved well up the intensity gauge. Hit the downhill past the bakery and into the twisties in the woods, the final stretch back to the house, and it’s no longer raining, it’s a massive deluge of water slamming into me on the back of the wind. I’ve never gotten so wet so fast on a ride. Broke out of the woods into the final section to my house and the wind and rain were more ferocious than ever. Staggered into the house, hammered, dripping water, looking worse than a drowned cat, except unlike the cat I was laughing. I mean how dumb can I be to go ride my bike in weather like that! Pretty dumb but on the other hand, it was really rather neat.
Then it started to snow. Fat flakes, blotting out the view. I opened a bottle of wine and toasted the weather, thanking it for having held off with the snow until I was back at the house. And with that figured my riding was down for at least a day or two.
Woke up to go pee at 4 in the morning (when you get to be up around my age you’ll know) and saw nothing but stars outside. Got up at 6:30 and there it was, a magnificent sky without a cloud in sight and didn’t look like hardly any snow had fallen! Sun rolled over the horizon, instant heat in the house, and the valley below socked in by fog! Perfect, time for a ride and some pics. I know, I’ve already posted some shots of the fog in the valley. From the same plateau. And recently. Too bad, here come some more.
Rode the plateau, dropped down into the fog, took the road to le Touvet, turned around, rode back up. Had a wonderful time. The light in the fog was magic. Et viola, a few pics. Hope you enjoy them. Oh yea, just for the heck of it decided to add a couple of sunrise pics shot on 24/12 from the house.
Cheers
Soon as I’d turned around got hit by drops. A light dusting, no big deal. Then again maybe a big deal indeed because when I hit a corner where I could see a good bit of the plateau stretching out into the distance, I also saw what looked a lot like a wall of water moving my way. Hit the long downhill into St B that’s usually a screamer in the speed department. Not this time. Wind doped up generously with water right in the face. But still perfectly bearable.
Got to St H and the rain factor had moved well up the intensity gauge. Hit the downhill past the bakery and into the twisties in the woods, the final stretch back to the house, and it’s no longer raining, it’s a massive deluge of water slamming into me on the back of the wind. I’ve never gotten so wet so fast on a ride. Broke out of the woods into the final section to my house and the wind and rain were more ferocious than ever. Staggered into the house, hammered, dripping water, looking worse than a drowned cat, except unlike the cat I was laughing. I mean how dumb can I be to go ride my bike in weather like that! Pretty dumb but on the other hand, it was really rather neat.
Then it started to snow. Fat flakes, blotting out the view. I opened a bottle of wine and toasted the weather, thanking it for having held off with the snow until I was back at the house. And with that figured my riding was down for at least a day or two.
Woke up to go pee at 4 in the morning (when you get to be up around my age you’ll know) and saw nothing but stars outside. Got up at 6:30 and there it was, a magnificent sky without a cloud in sight and didn’t look like hardly any snow had fallen! Sun rolled over the horizon, instant heat in the house, and the valley below socked in by fog! Perfect, time for a ride and some pics. I know, I’ve already posted some shots of the fog in the valley. From the same plateau. And recently. Too bad, here come some more.
Rode the plateau, dropped down into the fog, took the road to le Touvet, turned around, rode back up. Had a wonderful time. The light in the fog was magic. Et viola, a few pics. Hope you enjoy them. Oh yea, just for the heck of it decided to add a couple of sunrise pics shot on 24/12 from the house.
Cheers