Oh The Rain (Unedited)

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I'm in between Guanzhou and Macau right now. The rain started as we rolled into Guanzhou three days ago. The following morning I looked out of the hotel, at the drops flying down and said, "We are not staying here any longer. Our friends friends wait for us and it won't be longer than the previous days ride.

So I put on my quick dry Giant shirt, and my spandex Giant leggings, shoes, American flag Bandana's and helmet complete with a side mounted camera. My girlfriend put on her heavier, warmer clothes with her cycling helmet and donned her raincoat. She looked at me and asked, "Won't you be cold?" I laughed a little looking at it, "You've got your raincoat but I've got my quickdry things. This stuff is made for this kind of weather."

So off we went. And the rain kept pouring down on us as we went through streets. After a quick lunch it got heavier. Weather forecasts predicted 60%rain all day for all of Canton. Plus the temperature was dropping from 16 degrees down to thirteen. But looking out of my helmet and pumping my legs against the pedals gave me the warmth and strength to go on.

Around our 30th Kilometer I began to lose faith. No signs pointing to Zhongshan nor any that the rain will stop. A quick check of our bags we discovered water had come in from the inside(The area between the tire and the rack) and was filling them up, bottom up. We pushed on as I checked for hotels. For the first time in our several month trip I felt like calling it quits during a ride.

A sign gave us hope "Zongshan 40km" away, to us, 40km is nothing. Its an easy ride. We average now a hundred or more so the 70km was simple. We went up a few hills and at 10km away we reconfirmed with our French hosts. They were waiting for us in the warm homes and all we had to do was crest a few more hills in the rain with white steam coming from our breaths. I shivered, holding a bottle of boiled water courtesy of a gas station.

"It looks like they live a little more than 10km away. Look!" My girlfriend handed me her phone, GPS showed we'd have to go further and then bust a left. No problem, 10km there, and maybe 5km in another direction and Finish!

30km of highway later and a drop of a few more degrees left me bitter. My muscles hurt and screamed, my knees cried out in anguish. I curse my quick dry, breezy cycling clothes. In cold rain there is no part that is fun. On a flat surface waves of water smash through your feet in and gears removing the oil and making it hard to change gears. Your feet are cold, wet, and heavy with water, and every minute the bags weigh more and more, straining your body and slowing you down. Changing the gears while going up hill becomes a dangerous maneuver and the bags just want to drag on and when you crest the hill and go down your skin screams as the wind makes it fill like its 0degrees and the summer cycling clothes make you feel naked.

"Have we even turned yet?" I screamed at my girlfriend, she tells me no, "Why the fuck haven't we turned." I'm growing irrational and she tells me calmly we haven't reached there yet, "Well why the fuck not!?" To which there is no reply. Only riding. Endless, freezing, pounding riding.

What should have been 60km turns well over 100km, 8 hours in the rain, 1 in the dark below 10degrees in the wind. When our hosts find us, shivering and shaking in a convenience store they only laugh. Then due to the water weight on my girlfriends bags the rack breaks. Severing the screws and locking themselves inside.

The coffee at the end of the day was delicious though. And the warm bed in their guestroom, amazing.

But it hasn't stopped raining and we are still here. Its the second day and I need to go repair the bike to continue our journey. Though I haven't done that due to the weather, a light sprinkle that sends huge shivers down my spine.

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Sorry to hear about the rain
What a great trip.