CAUGHT IN THE RAIN

JD SHELTERING FROM THE RAIN

JD and I were out for a training ride together on Monday.....
We will probably only manage one more ride together before we leave for Gibraltar although we will manage quite a few more miles riding on our own.
Anyway back to our Monday ride.....the original weather forecast was for a dry day, however as we set off from Wimborne there were one or two big black clouds hovering over in the direction we were heading for.

Now regular readers will know that I like to avoid riding in the rain if I can. Well actually getting caught in the rain is one thing...I can live with that- after all there is not much you can do about it.
Where I do draw the line is if it is pelting down before I leave home....under those circumstances I probably would't bother.
To be truthful it's not about me getting wet...it's more about the bike getting filthy on the muddy country roads and all that cleaning afterwards...I can do without that..!
The big black cloud seemed to be dancing around us as we headed in the direction of the 'Tarrant' villages. At one point we rode through a light shower but after a few minutes it stopped again.....
About 30 mins later it rained again....this time it didn't stop.

Just as we were riding through Gussage St Michael we noticed a small wooden bus shelter. It didn't take more than a second for the decision to be made. A couple of minutes later the two of us plus the bikes were sat inside in the dry having a slightly early lunch break.
While we were sat inside the shelter a guy who works in a small workshop across the road came across to chat to us....I have spoken to him before...he normally rides mountain bikes but has recently purchased a road bike because he has signed up to do a charity ride from London to Paris in early September.
He was interested in our ride especially the distance that we will be covering. We joked with him that we were making the most of somewhere to hide from the rain, because when we are in Spain- if it rains -there probably won't be anywhere for us to escape to, as 'the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain' and we will be cycling across an awful lot of plain. (As well as an awful lot of mountains)
By the time we had finished chatting, the sun had come out....the roads were almost dry and we set off again suitably refuelled for the rest of our ride.....and we didn't even get wet.

CYCLISTS FIGHTING CANCER TEAM JERSEY

When I finally got home following our ride there was a small package waiting for me.It was my CFC team jersey and bibshorts for the ROCK2UK ride....
Enclosed in the package was an information sheet about the charity and I have reproduced some of that information below:-
CYCLISTS FIGHTING CANCER
Positively helping kids whose lives have been affected by Cancer.
Cancer treatments can cause a wide variety of issues, from loss of limbs to blindness, weakened hearts, lungs and muscles to depression and loss of self esteem.
Exercise is very important for rehabilitation. Bikes are the best form of activity for kids.
Our bikes and trikes give the kids a fun , exciting focus for their recovery and also provide a way to build lost self confidence.
£350 is the average cost of our awards.
500 bikes have been awarded so far.
£1050 is the cost of a typical adapted trike.
102% of the money given goes to our objective.