For those of my readers who don’t live on the east coast of Australia I need to first explain that we have just endured a violent and disastrous weather event here in the last week. Described as a “once in a decade” event the combination of an east coast low pressure system and the king tides that usually happen at this time of year saw some areas receive over 300mm of rain, widespread flooding in the Hunter Valley, over 20000 calls to the SES, loss of life from people attempting to dive though flooded roads and an insurance bill that will be astronomical.
While we didn’t experience anything like that down south where I live, we had almost a week of constant rain, road closures and minor flooding. My back yard was under water for a number of days and it is still so boggy that I am reluctant to walk out there.
Nevertheless, in the wake!! of the deluge, the weather itself has been delightful so I have got on the bike and done some riding. With due care, of course, given the hammering that we have received, but it has been interesting.
On Tuesday, I did “The Lap”. Up Macquarie Pass, down Barrengary Mountain and through Kangaroo Valley, up and down Cambewarra Mountain and out to the highway at Bomaderry. From there out to Shoalhaven Heads and Gerroa past Seven Mile Beach, out to Jamberoo and home, a loop of just over 160kms. I rode rather more carefully than usual, even allowing for the increased confidence that comes along with a new set of tyres. Along with the rain came gale force winds and the roads up on the highlands are usually littered with tree bark, brannches and twigs from the surrounding forests so it is always good to exercise caution.
Unsurprisingly, the Pass was quite clear and clean. The RTA has been spending a lot of time and money on the Pass over the last few years, undoubtedly because of the huge volume of traffic that uses it. Sections are regularly closed so that trees and bushes can be cleared allowing improved line of sight through the corners and the drainage culverts on both sides of the road receive regular attention. Huge volumes of water come crashing down the mountain whenever it rains and, even with regular cleaning, the drains barely cope. But I was pleased to see that the work that has been put in has borne fruit. The road itself was clean (a legacy of the large amount of cars and trucks that use it every day) and there were only a few place where the rolls of bark from the trees was still in evidence in the middle of the road. There was plenty of water in the two waterfalls at the top bends but the water was safely draining away through the improved culverts recently installed.
Once onto the less-trafficked roads the picture was not quite so pretty. Along Pearsons Lane and the road across to Fitzroy Falls, the edges of the road were very poor, with large patches of mud intruding well into the lanes, requiring a bit more care. On both of the other mountain passes there were sections where the water was still partially across the road and the sections where the road never actually is exposed to direct sunlight were especially dodgy. Back down on the coast the rain has messed up the roads a lot as well with many new potholes in evidence but, overall, not to much to concern.
And it got me thinking about how we should ride on wet roads. Some people’s answer is that they simply don’t, so they can advertise their bike as “never ridden in the rain” and I have to say that I will only ride on really wet roads when I have to; when I get caught out on the bike and it starts to rain. Too many years spent riding on marginal tyres and with ineffective wet weather gear sort of killed the enjoyment of that for me. But there are times when we have to ride on wet roads so what are some of the things to watch?
Well, firstly, and obviously, traction is in shorter supply. As always, the answer is, ride to the conditions. Keep a greater distance between you and the vehicles around you, front and rear, obviously, but buffer the vehicles around you as well. Your braking distances will have increased and your own reaction times may be compromised by cold, poor visibility and extra demands upon your concentration. Be aware that most car drivers tend to do exactly the opposite and actually drive worse in the wet than they do in the dry.
Look at the road more. Especially after a long dry period, the fuels and oils that have been spilled on the road and soaked into the bitumen, float back up to the surface (fuel is lighter than water) and lie in wait for the unwary. If it is sunny you can clearly see these patches gleaming in the sunshine, their rainbow of colours alerting you to the risk. Position your bike to the left or the right of the middle of the lane. This is where most of these rogue lubricants can be found, deposited there off the sumps of cars and trucks as they accelerate and decelerate around intersections. Beware of other debris as well. A small twig could be enough to bring you unglued (it usually won’t but who needs the aggravation?) Bearing in mind the above factors of decreased visibility and braking distances, watch out for this sort of debris.
Keep the bike upright. Wet roads are not the place to see how much you can wear off your chicken strips. Yes, modern tyres are astonishing and the general rule that they will continue to grip even in very wet conditions as long as they stay hot is true, but, why risk it? Fact is that most of us don’t (can’t) ride quickly enough to maintain the required temperature when it is raining and cold anyway, so, replace flash with caution. Corner more slowly and keep the bike in the meaty part of the tyre’s tread as much as you can. Lean off he bike more yourself if you want to, but don’t presume upon the edges of your tyres any more than you have to.
Keep your visor clean. Stop more frequently and clear it. You’ll be amazed, especially if you’re riding around town, how much gunk it collects when it is flung up from the wet, dirty road.
I have seen riders (and I have done so myself from time to time) riding without gloves when it rains. The rationale is that they take forever to dry so it is better to keep them dry so that you can put them on when the rain stops. The downside is that you are leaving your hands unprotected and even if a crash is at lower speed due to the conditions, it’s best not to bail with your unprotected hands being the first point of contact with the road. Also your hands radiate and enormous amount of heat and, once that heat is lost, your ability to operate the controls effectively is compromised.
I will admit that I hate riding in the wet; my overactive mind can think of enough bad scenarios in the dry let alone throwing in the knowledge that my grip levels are way down. But we all have to do it and it can be less of a trial than it would be otherwise if a few simple precautions are taken. It is predicted that we’ll have rain on the weekend again. I think the bike may just say in the shed until it’s over!
dunc says
sure is a wet time for us here phil
been having some good shed time through it though
the wet may give you time to get the itinerary up to speed for the overseas adventure
Phil Hall says
Was a nice weekend though, and they’re saying it’s going to be fine this week, hooray!