Some people I know think this whole riding-a-bicycle-day-after-day thing is craziness on my part. If you’re one who thinks that, hold onto your hat. We rode 56 miles today — not that unusual — through the outer rain bands of Tropical Storm Andrea. The first 15 miles were overcast and cool before it started sprinkling, then drizzling, then raining, then pouring. So for 37 miles, we got wet. Really, really wet.

And what really IS crazy is it was fun. I wasn’t all that cold, the asthma didn’t cause problems, and we rode strong. There’s a point when you’re so wet that you can’t get any wetter, and it’s time to just enjoy it. So we did. My theme song was a slightly altered version of “The End of the Line” by The Traveling Wilburys. “it’s all right / ridin’ around in the storm / it’s all right / our jackets will keep us warm/ it’s all right / everything will work out fine / it’s all right / we’re going’ to the end of the line.”

There was also a theme color for today: a lovely shade cyclists call acid green. It’s the most common color for cycling jackets and many jerseys because it’s easily visible. By the time we arrived in Waycross, we were dripping wet but still very bright green.

At the school this afternoon, EVERYTHING has become an improvised drying space. Every floor, doorknob, locker, table, and chair is draped with some piece of cycling gear. The women’s locker room looks like a laundromat. And my personal favorite are the improvised shoe drying stations in front of every air mover fan in the building. I doubt any of it will be dry by morning, but we are aiming for more dry.

My favorite quote of the day comes from buddy Kay, who declared that she spent a lot of today “fluffing.” When I inquired, she explained that after long hours of riding, your butt gets that smashed-down feeling, and you need to occasionally “fluff it up” by raising up off the seat. So happy fluffing day, everyone. I’m off for a well-deserved BRAG sleep.