Wet Wet Wet
John persuaded me that the BOM* knew best, so after waiting out the rain till 9.30 we headed off for a little jaunt in the countryside. It is indeed very beautiful countryside and would have been absolutely brilliant riding if the roads hadn't been wet and muddy.
The second wave of rain caught up with us and gave us a light sprinkling but on we continued like true bikers! What's a little bit of rain?
We rode a delightful section along the riverbank, through the forests, up the hills, round the twisties - one of those totally photo-worthy roads... but of course I did not take any photos as I was enjoying myself too much.
We stopped at Jumilhac le Grand and had an excellent coffee and even better mango tart. The third wave of rain came and went and I was beginning to doubt the BOM. Where's my morning of clear skies huh?
My excellent gear was proving to be waterproof and apart from my gloves (which are never waterproof no matter what they claim) I was toasty warm and dry underneath. Very impressed with the Matodor jacket and Naxsax pants.
We were heading for Brantome for lunch but as we rounded the corner, a huge black cloud threatened our approach. A quick right turn towards clearer skies and the direction of home. Alas, we ran headlong into the fourth wave of bucketing, prolonged, heavy rain which did not let up for the entire 40kms home. My gear finally reached the point of saturation and water was wicking into every opening.
The roads were divine - or would have been if I had been able to see them through the rivers flowing off my helmet and my fogged up visor. 40 kilometres and my top speed was about 30kph!
And in spite of all the rain - it was STILL good to be out riding!
*Bureau of Meteorology