In all seriousness it was a rather impressive amount of rain for Perth, around 100mm, the wettest January Day for nearly 20 years. Pretty wet for any Perth day really.
So, given the terribleness of the weather, did I end up looking silly after cancelling the Front Runner bike session this morning?
Well I think the jury is still out on that one.
While we got loads of rain overnight, after about 5:00am it had largely cleared. There were still the odd squall, but the really torrential rain had passed. This means people could conceivably have safely ridden this morning if they had wanted. Hence why I think the jury is still out on whether the session should have been cancelled or not.
Really I think I am comfortable with my decision not to take the group out. Whilst it didn't rain much after 5:00am, it had been quite torrential up until that point. Whilst going out running after loads of rain is not a big deal, going out riding does require a bit more consideration, particularly if it is the first rain in a long time (which this was).
I am not sure if it is true for all the world (probably), but I know for sure in Perth that the we haven't had rain for a while, then the first rides post rain are always a bit sketchy. This sketchiness is mostly caused by all the debris, sand and other rubbish on or near the roads washing to the gutters. This can make for slippery, dirty, hazard filled roads. At best they are an annoying puncture risk and at worst they can be a cause of bike crashes. This situation was definitely the case this morning.
That isn't to say riding in these conditions shouldn't be done, I have certainly ridden in much worse conditions myself as have most others. However, as discussed yesterday there is a difference between what you would ride in and what you should take a squad of cyclists out in. The concept of Duty of Care does require a more conservative approach with regard to coaching a squad. The fact that the road surfaces would have been wet and otherwise questionable this morning is enough justification in my mind for cancelling the session.
Social media this morning was full of people who were rightly proud of the fact that the weather didn't stop them swimming or running. The weather shouldn't necessarily be used as an excuse to not train. However, it is not 'soft' to take your own safety into consideration when training. Swimming and running can quite safely be done in the rain, sometimes it can even be kind of fun. That equation is quite different with cycling. Cycling in the rain is always more dangerous. It doesn't mean you will definitely crash, but it does mean that more care is required. For me, if there are safer options than riding in the rain, then it is just common sense to take those options, which is exactly what occurred this morning.
This doesn't mean I will be calling the session off at the slightest sign of rain, that is over kill. However, it does mean that when rain is forecast I will be having a good hard think about the session and whether it will still be acceptably safe.
Hopefully after today we are back into normal Summer weather patterns and I don't have to think about whether or not I need to cancel a session for quite some time.
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