Posts tagged story

Yesterday was Thursday and the day of the weekly LUNA Chix Chapel Hill ride.  The forecast was only calling for 10% chance of rain showers at 6pm (when the ride starts) but it was overcast all day.  

The meeting place for the ride is about 7 miles from my house so I wanted to ride there of course to get an extra long ride in.  I wanted to be early and didn’t know how traffic would be so I left 45 minutes before the ride, giving me plenty of time to get there and at that point I thought the ride was on.

Turns out that right as I was leaving, the ride was canceled and unbeknownst to me, I was heading right into a random, severe thunderstorm.  

I get to the meeting place and check my phone and realize that the ride had been canceled.  I’m super disappointed but decided to ride around some more.  Then I heard the thunder.  Decided that it was better to just turn around and ride home than to go longer and risk getting struck by lightning, losing control of the bike on the flooded roads, etc.  

As I head home, it starts drizzling and then minutes later, out of no where, the sky opens up and rain came rushing down so fast and in such quantities that I was completely drenched, in a matter of seconds!  

The thunder picks up too and gets closer.  I tried to pedal faster and just get home as fast as I can but I’m terrified of hydroplaning and falling over and getting hit by a car or getting hit by lightning (even though I know it’s unlikely).  

I vacillated between freaking out and being composed.  I’d hear thunder nearby and freak out and then I’d think to myself “The chances of getting hit by lightning are like 1 in a million.” but then I’d start to think “What if I’m that one??!”  

Finally I made it to a friend and teammate’s house who kindly took me in and gave me a towel and clean dry clothes to change into.  She even gave me a ride to our LUNA chix meeting and then a ride home that night. She’s the best!  

Looking back on last night I can’t help cracking up! I was flinching and yelping and cursing every time the lightning struck. I was terrified but now I think the whole thing is hilarious.  

I probably over-reacted a lot. I’m still a bit of a bike n00b.  You bike experts out there probably know exactly what to do when it rains and find a way to keep going.  Oh well.