Caught in the Rain. Learning to Roll With Whatever Comes

Each month, I’m sharing a chapter or concept from my upcoming book, “Cycling Shorts: Everything I Need to Know I Learned While Riding My Bike.” This month explores what happens when Mother Nature has other plans for your ride.

Back in my teens and twenties, running through Central New York winters, rain never stopped me. In fact, I often went out in search of puddles, splashing through them like a kid. Yes, I had to do my own laundry, and yes, my family thought I was slightly unhinged. But there was something magical about running in the rain.

Cycling in the rain? That’s an entirely different beast. When you’re running, you can duck under trees or into a building. When you’re twenty miles from home on a bike, you learn quickly that sooner or later, we all get wet.

When Nature Changes Her Mind

One afternoon, Jim and I were about twenty miles south of home in the Hudson Valley. Gorgeous day, a few scattered clouds, rain forecast for much later. We felt confident as we made our turnaround point.

Then we felt that unmistakable shift. The air changes, the light dims, and suddenly the world feels different.

The heavens opened and rain poured down while we raced wheel to wheel through farmland. We took turns leading, one of us powering through face-first into the storm while shielding the other. The person behind caught a face full of water streaming off the leader’s tire, but hey, at least they got some wind protection.

We made a desperate sprint to the nearest Lowe’s, pulling under the covered entrance, breathing hard and laughing at ourselves. Still ten-plus miles from home and soaking wet, we did what any reasonable cyclists would do. We called for backup.

Thank goodness for friends who understand that cyclists will do anything to get a ride in, always hoping to outrun the rain.

Rolling with Whatever Comes

Nature doesn’t care about your schedule or your comfort level. Weather will humble you faster than any hill climb ever could. But getting caught in unexpected rain has taught me something valuable: adaptability trumps preparation every time.

You can check forecasts and plan perfectly, but Mother Nature reserves the right to change her mind. The magic happens when you learn to roll with whatever comes your way, find joy in the chaos, and trust that the most uncomfortable rides often become the most memorable ones.

After all, rain combined with sunshine gives us rainbows. Sometimes that’s exactly what we need to remember when we’re caught in the storm.

“Cycling Shorts: Everything I Need to Know I Learned While Riding My Bike” explores the life lessons found in every pedal stroke. Stay tuned for more chapters as I continue this passion project.

Want more? Check out Life Lessons from the Bike!

©2025 Lori Ann King