help me stop obsessing about the forecast for El Tour de Tucson Saturday

[Dogmama]

Glad you were able to finish but would not have blamed you for quitting. It was nasty all day. You are a warrior!! Could not believe they didn't detour Sabino Creek at the beginning of the race but now I know why

Very sorry to hear about the man who was killed on the frontage road. There are no words. Glad you are safe!

[emily_in_nc]

Oh no -- that is so tragic. I did not know there had been a death in this event. What a horrible shame.

Kudos and humble bowing down to you, though, azfiddle, for surviving what sound like brutal conditions. Don't know that I could have done it. Sounds similar to the Seagull Century we rode in 2004. We did the full century on our then-tandem, and the heavy rain started partway through. We were cold and miserable (and underdressed) for the final 50 miles. My DH's lips were blue and teeth chattering by the end. The Weather Channel had been calling for the rain to start a lot later than it actually did; otherwise we would have gotten our clothing closer to right. Quite a miserable experience though probably warmer than what you faced -- I can't recall now.

I just read a blog of an RVer who is also a cyclist, and she did a report with some photos of riders along the route. She didn't ride as she's recovering from foot surgery, but they are in Tucson in their RV for the winter. I was astonished by the amount of water in her photos:

http://retiredbicycle.blogspot.com/2...ts-of-old.html

Congratulations again, azfiddle, and thanks for the report.

[zoom-zoom]

AZ, one of our JDRF coaches and several of our rider were on this ride. I cannot imagine how miserable that was, especially as a lot of people would not have brought the appropriate clothing for a ride in AZ!! Today's CX race in the 20s was wonderful…in part because it was only about 35 minutes and I was dressed properly. Kudos to you who gutted this out!!

[Susan Otcenas]

Congratulations on finishing in conditions that were so outside of your comfort zone. It's a mark of true strength that you were able to draw on things to motivate you when the going got tough. (You'd clearly make a great randonneur. ;-) )

Someone in customer service forwarded to me the note you sent in about the Canari Niagara Jacket you purchased from us. Really really happy to read that it worked out so well for you. While I don't wish you rainy conditions on many rides, I do hope you get plenty of life out of it! Incidentally, I find that on very cold days, my rain jacket makes a very effective lightweight wind blocking layer. So you may get more use out of it than you expect! I have family in Tucson and have ridden there in late November. It was surprisingly chilly in the pre-dawn hours!

Again, congratulations on your riding and fundraising successes.

Susan

[ny biker]

Congrats on the ride and the fundraising. You dug deep into that suitcase of courage, as they say.

I agree with Susan -- a good windproof rain jacket is also useful for sunny days when it's cold and/or breezy. I also sometimes wear my Showers Pass jacket when I go out for a long walk.

[Crankin]

AZ, take care of yourself. I was more affected than I thought, by being on a ride where 2 people got killed. I *saw* them, standing in the line, waiting for our packets. The way I felt had nothing to do with the crash I had later that day. We had all intentions of doing the ride in its entirety a few weeks later, but I found myself really not wanting to be anywhere near that route.
Congrats on finishing in what sounds like horrible conditions. One thing I know is 1) Arizonans don't know how to drive in the rain, and I imagine the same goes for riding, and 2) yes, I agree with Owlie's comment. Too many people who just should not be driving.

[azfiddle]

Thanks again, Susan & NY biker and everyone else for you suggestions and kudos. I'm sure I will use my now well broken in jacket again in the future.

I read that about half of those registered for El Tour dropped out or didn't start. I spent all week trying to figure out what I already had that I could wear to stay warm. We saw 2 poor guys from Mexico who were absolutely not dressed for the weather. One just had short gloves- I gave him an extra pair of latex gloves to put underneath them, for what little good it did.

Even my husband, who has actual randonneuring credentials, having completed a 200k, 300k, 400k and the first 400 of a 600k, did not dress properly. His jacket was no longer waterproof and at the end he was edging a little closer to hypothermia than was good for him.

My school district superintendent is a big fan and participant in endurance sports (mostly running, but also cycling), especially when done to raise money for a good cause, and he was one of my donors. I sent him my "El Tour Wrap-up" story on Sunday. He sent out an email to everyone in the school district mentioning me and 4 other employees who rode and raised money, but he pointed me out as his "hero of the day" for finishing the longest route and hanging in there for nearly 10 hours in the crummy weather - so I was showered with a lot of attention this morning when I came back to work. A short-lived career as a celebrity...