My wife and I spent the weekend with a local riding group...in central Vermont, pretty much the absolute middle of nowhere. (Vermont has LOTS of middle of nowhere.) Had fun...ride up after work Friday was a bit chilly, but not bad. Saturday was chilly, but started OK...then ended with a 50-mile ride back in 50-degree pouring rain. (Note to self: make sure the ride leader knows how to read a map, a clock, and a weather alert!)
I had decent gear and my Burgman's fairing gives lots of wind protection...but even with allegedly-waterproof gear, my wife (riding a naked bike) got absolutely soaked. My hands were cold and wet (gloves insulated but not Gore-Tex), my helmet liner was wet, a little rain seeped in between my jacket & pants on the highway...her gloves WERE waterproof, as were her boots...but the liners on her pants & jacket both leaked badly, so everything EXCEPT her hands and feet were soaked. By the time we got back to the hotel, she was so cold she could barely climb off the bike...her thermal top and tights were literally DRIPPING wet. So, I pulled her riding clothes off and put her in the shower with me. We nearly missed dinner.
Met some nice people, from as far away as Montreal, Buffalo, Baltimore, and Tennessee...food & company were pretty good. Planning on doing it again next year..hopefully, minus the 35-degree temperatures and the monsoon.
We rode back today...first ~60 miles we were running with a big Victory and a couple of Goldwings, and they were HAULING. Liz kept up well enough, but I ran into my rev limiter (9100RPM, ~95MPH) several times.
I had decent gear and my Burgman's fairing gives lots of wind protection...but even with allegedly-waterproof gear, my wife (riding a naked bike) got absolutely soaked. My hands were cold and wet (gloves insulated but not Gore-Tex), my helmet liner was wet, a little rain seeped in between my jacket & pants on the highway...her gloves WERE waterproof, as were her boots...but the liners on her pants & jacket both leaked badly, so everything EXCEPT her hands and feet were soaked. By the time we got back to the hotel, she was so cold she could barely climb off the bike...her thermal top and tights were literally DRIPPING wet. So, I pulled her riding clothes off and put her in the shower with me. We nearly missed dinner.
Met some nice people, from as far away as Montreal, Buffalo, Baltimore, and Tennessee...food & company were pretty good. Planning on doing it again next year..hopefully, minus the 35-degree temperatures and the monsoon.
We rode back today...first ~60 miles we were running with a big Victory and a couple of Goldwings, and they were HAULING. Liz kept up well enough, but I ran into my rev limiter (9100RPM, ~95MPH) several times.
There are plenty of worse ways to warm up than in a shower with my wife.
