Yesterday was ... interesting.

Rode to work on the 'Wester Ross'. Slightly overcast but warm with the promice of sun later. The forecast also included a warning of thunder storms ...

Anyway the network at work was taken down in the afternoon for maintenance (what kind of organisation deliberately takes its network down during the normal working day??) so I left early. It was sunny in Perry Barr and so I decided to take a more rural route home.

Riding through the city centre I could see clouds building to the south. But it was warm and I had chosen a bike with mudguards just in case it became damp ...

I followed my normal route up the Rea Valley cycle route (route '5') and then turned off up towards Weatheroak. As I turned into the country lanes it began to rain. I had already heard thunder in the distance at Lifford so I wasn't too suprised but I was more or less committed to the route now, I was probably close to taking the most direct route home by now.

It rained all the way down to Alvechurch but nothing really severe, the waterproof was doing its job. Across the Redditch Road and up the hill past the canal boat yard through Alvechurch and the storm that had been rumbling to the south west decided to break - right on me!

I began to realise the rain was a little harder than normal when it sounded like a shower had been turned full on and the breaks between the tree were grey blobs of rain. By the time I reached the top of the hill and began to descend towards Burcot, cars had stopped by the side of the road because of the downpour. The road was a strem from verge to verge, inches of water depth flowing down the road, I normally avoid 'fords' but the ride home was one long 'ford'.

I finally arived in Burcot, I had ridden very lowly and nervously down a tiny single track lane which was so dark due to overhanging trees and the storm it was like a night time ride. The stream, sorry road, was treacherous too. Thunder and lightening seemed to be crashing around more or less overhead.

Burcot was a suprise, the 'B' road through the village was inhes deep in fast flowing flood water. Only four wheel drive vehicles were attempting the road. I noticed the pavement was still relatively clear so I managed to ride on ...

A few turns later and I turned left onto another minor lane to be confronted with a large expanse of water. I didn't think I had much choice (but that isn't actually true - I could have detoured but didn't think about it at the time) so rode on through. Bad choice, over six inches deep, pedals were submerged on each revolution, I was concentrating on staying upright so I'm not sure if the bottom bracket or hubs were also submerged!!

A little further on towards Marlbrook, a similar 'lake', this one appeared to flowing rapidly up hill towards me. I waited for a vehicle to pass through so that I could guage the depth. One car chickened out and turned around but a 'Transit' van went through - about the same as the last one. Riding through again submerged parts of the bike I'd have rather kept dry (relatively!) but again I had no real choice. My feet couldn't actually get any wetter as they'd been under water so many times.

Finally arrived home, cleaned the bike of all of the weeds I'd collected in the floods and gave it a thorough spray of WD40, not a perfect fix for submerged bearings but it'll do until I get around to dismantling them properly.

I've ridden through storms before, and floods too but this has to be one of the most sudden and severe I'v experienced on a bike. Once or twice I found myself saying out loud that I didn't really like it very much!

Didn't ride in this morning, too wet for my poor fragile body - I might melt! so I spent some time looking at pictures of my bikes on the 'Fixed Gear Gallery, see http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/, nothing about commuting, of course. There was a time (long, long ago) that I rode fixed to work but then I moved to a place where the hills are bigger (particularly at 8.00 am at the start of a ride) and so now 'fixies' are just for fun.

see 996 http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2004/d/hidderley.htm
1006 http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2004/d/hidderley20.htm
1007 http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2004/d/hidderley30.htm