22 seconds longer

There’s a joke around the office that I am most likely to ride when it’s most miserable outside. Conversely, when it’s sunny, I’ve often got something else going on that keeps me off the bike. That was how last week played out.

• Tuesday: I was coming back from a ten-day hiatus from cycling. The rain felt enjoyable.
• Wednesday: wetter, windier, colder. When I got home, I stripped in the laundry room. Wednesday’s wardrobe was washed as one load. I laid my shoes (sans inserts) over a floor heater vent.
• Thursday: wetter and colder. I was having a hard time getting motivated to bike into work. There wasn’t much rain on the way home, but as temperatures dipped to freezing, black ice formed. I had a small spill in Redmond.

I was up all night working on the last-minute bits of a product release. The “next” (more accurately described as “later that”) morning, I was mostly dysfunctional and drove. It was sunny all day. Of course.

Saturday had heavy rain, but it didn’t matter since I don’t usually bike on weekends anyway.  Later in the evening, I noticed the week-long forecast had lots of “cloud with little snowflakes” icons and textual descriptions like:

“Occasional rain showers then occasional rain or snow showers. Some snow accumulation possible late. Lows in the 30s. Southwest wind 10 to 20 mph.”

Yeah.  With my 2007 cycling goal being so tantalizingly close, I hedged my bets and went out in the heavy rain to power through the last miles. There were a couple other riders on Sammamish River Trail with the same idea; otherwise, I had the trail to myself.

Riding northbound to Woodinville was pretty easy because the tailwind directed most of the rain down my back. The return was slower and wetter. Every half mile, or when my hands got cold, I’d squeeze water out of my gloves by making a fist.

Near Redmond Town Center, goal achieved, I rewarded myself with a mocha from the Peet’s Coffee across from Whole Foods. Despite the better operational layout, they’re even slower than Starbucks at over eight minutes. (Jitters is still my favorite; and the barista starts making it as soon as I bike up.) I was a mile down East Lake Sammamish before I realized I had walked off with someone else’s mocha. If that was you, I’m truly sorry.

Weather Underground had revised their forecast to “60% chance of rain.” However, since I sacrificed myself to appease the weather gods, Monday was clear and sunny. I spent part of the afternoon visiting the Olympic Sculpture Garden near the Seattle Art Museum.

They’re sticking by their weekly forecast:

If I had the spare time, this would be a good time to revisit the weather rodeo.

The good news, as noted by Woodstock: