On Tuesdays, I like to join the Big Chief ride in Wildwood. It's very fast and it gets over with by 7pm. Did I say it's fast? Oh yeah, it's fast. Last Tuesday, I had my stuff all ready to go and then I pulled up the radar. Hmmm. I knew it wouldn't be a good idea to be out in the hills in a raging storm. So, I devised a plan.
Everyone knows how much I like Babler. It's a short loop with killer hills. I figured I'd drive over, park in my favorite lower parking lot, and never be more than a couple miles from the car if the weather did hit. It's simple to get 20 miles there, and I was going well, hitting the hills and recovering pretty fast. I was averaging 19mph. But I did notice that there was almost no light. It was only 6:15 but it was very dark. And the wind had picked up. And there was that smell that happens in the summer when there is going to be some weather....so just as I passed the lot where my car was parked, I decided to do one more short lap and then high tail it out of there.
Which was a lap too far. About 200 yards past my car, a wall of water came down. It was dark as night, except for the lighting. I had just over 3 miles to get back around to my car, which included one steep hill. As I started my ascent, hail battered my face and helmet. Water rushed down the pavement toward me, making the road like a small river. Concerning, but not scary. Scary part? The very fast (40+ mph) decent on the other side of the park was also a river, and my brakes were MIA. Nope. Notta. No braking whatsoever. Disc brakes are good, my friends, and I don't have them.
I did make it back to my car, though. The rain was frightening and invigorating at the same time. Good thing I wore yellow.... but I did average 18.9mph on the ride with 2000ft of climbing. So there is that.
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