First off, let me mention that a tropical thunderstorm is not merely rain. It is probably closer to standing under a waterfall in pretty much full flow rather than a ‘down pour’.

I enjoy a good rain. Having lived in the tropics all my life, rain is usually a welcome treat as it lowers the temperature and as a kid, reduced my chores too (one of my tasks was to water the garden, heh). To me, rain is a reason to celebrate. I never shy away from soaking in a good shower and do nor run of hide when it drizzles. many a days, I bike right through in the rain and it is refreshing if you try it out.

This morning started out pretty warm. I was under the impression that the commute was going to be another sweaty one and I have to spend an additional minute or so in cold water to cool down after the ride. It was sunny from the east and it seemed that the west end was cloudy. I was happy that I might avoid the sun for at least part of my ride. But about 5Km into the ride, the rain started and very rapidly turned into a roaring thunderstorm.

That’s the beauty of weather in these parts. Very rarely do we have prolonged phases of drizzle that so irritates the soul and causes mass depression. The  climate changes rapidly and as I am typing this it is so sunny and hot,  that the earlier floods have dried up without a trace. Anyway, i digress…

So I approached the storm expecting it to be ok. Soon I realized that the sunglasses (with orange tint for night time visibility) have been enduring prolonged abuse and has been peeling over the past weeks. If you ever have had peeling plastic in wet weather, you might know that it is not in anyway water repellent. On the contrary, it retains moisture and water within the cracks and makes seeing through almost impossible. So the sunglasses had to go to the top of my head. Then the full impact of the storm hit me. The droplets were large and fast and never missed the eyes. My head was soaking wet and water was pouring through the temples and onto the eyes. I had to squint to prevent water entering my eyes and try to focus on the traffic in front and back. It is interesting in its own way, I should mention.

In the past year or so, I have completely stopped using a helmet and instead use a ‘buff’ for protection from the sun. I guess a helmet with a visor might have helped today but judging from the amount of water, I doubt it, I would probably have needed one of the wide brimmed hats.

Next came the floods. Singapore has great infrastructure but occasionally, the rains can get too large for even the best drainage systems and flash floods are frequent (especially in low lying areas). But I was still surprised by the amount of water on main arteries leading in to the city and too often, my wheels were at least a foot under water. Thank goodness for my Ortliebs. I trust them so much that it never occurred to me to stop and check if things were fine. I just assumed my clothes will be dry (and my wallet and phone) and was not disappointed.

I have fenders and flaps on my bike but they do not help if you are riding in a foot deep pond and my shoes got soaking wet and dirty from all the grime and rubbish kicked off from the street.

Next came the vehicles that pass by at extreme speeds in the rain. A curious observation, it seems that the heavier it rains, the faster cars  go. I suppose they do not understand the concept of hydroplaning or may be don’t really care. I suppose the reason has to do with the fact that the traffic gets congested when it rains and everyone is trying to avoid a jam or catching up after being stuck in one. Either way, it does not help since they are going to be late anyway. All they ended up doing was kick up enough water to spray me on my face, head and above. Frequently, I was dealt with a strong wave kicked up by a passing car or a bus. And they don’t really seem to care.

I have been riding in the rain many a times but this was probably the heaviest till date. Crosswinds are not fun when your wheels are a feet below water and I guess overall the experience was, I should say, interesting.

Would I venture out in thunderstorms again? I suppose it does not matter much, as long as you know how to manage the road and the traffic, it should be fine. Just need to fix my glasses and I should be ready for the next one…

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 1st, 2009 at 5:56 pm and is filed under Singapore, bicycle commuting in singapore. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.