Day Three: Tim Johnson's Ride on Washington

Day Three: NYC - Philadelphia, PA (~90 Miles - and 5" of rain)

The second day of the ride might have been our Queen Stage at least in terms of distance and elevation, but day three gave it a run for the money in terms of the weather. The morning started out a bit early as Andrew Crooks from NYC Velo met us at the Hudson Hotel to lead us over to his shop in the Lower East Side. Richard Fries quickly eschewed the shorter, more direct route (are you sensing a theme here?) to ride on the Hudson River Greenway that was put in by the NYC Department of Transportation next to the West Side Highway. But it is a fantastic way to get around.

Our man Mike Spriggs snapped photos as we put down egg sandwiches and expertly pulled espresso drinks and talked about the previous two days worth of riding. It is amazing how quickly the moments add up when riding back to back in this fashion. They compound so quickly and stretch out the hours to make them feel like weeks compiled on top of days and days of riding. When in reality it was only two.

The rain never stopped.

Not for a minute when we missed the Staten Island Ferry. Not even when we rode over the Brooklyn Bridge. The rain did not let up when we saw the town line into Philadelphia. And it certainly did not back off when we rode the 23 between that town line and our hotel. 23 miles that none of us were even aware existed.

The day was also a reminder that I need to take care of my gear better. One cannot assume, even with clothing this nice that you can not take care of it and expect it to perform at the highest level. Something that I will not do again. On the rain jackets positioned neatly over the backs of Tim and others I watched the water bead up and roll off throughout the day, the one on my back, well, it still kept everything in my pockets dry, so that was enough for me.

I mentioned the predicament to our North American Customer Service Guru —Tim Coghlan — and he sent along how he prevents this issue from happening. Coincidentally he had just sent the response over to some of our pals in Seattle earlier that day. Turns out it rains there too.

Here was Tim's response:

I'm in the same boat after each rainy season. I use Nikwax products to revive the DWR that comes on all outwear. Nikwax Tech Wash to clean and then Nikwax TX Direct to re-treat. Sometimes just a wash in powder detergent and then a warm dryer, just enough to dry your jacket is all you need. You can pick up some Nikwax at REI or most outdoor shops. It will go a lot further if you treat more then just your jacket at a time as well. You can use it on the Gilet and Wind Jacket too.

This information would have helped had I known before Tim Johnson dragged us along the East Coast for his Ride On Washington. But, alas, you live and you learn. Now you know how to prep yourself for the rainy season, wherever that might be.

Special thanks to all those who welcomed us into Philadelphia that night. This was far and away the best attended night of the week so far and the patience of all these people as we rolled in looking closer to drowned rats than cyclists was appreciated. Even when Richard Fries lit Kevin Wolfson's jacket on fire (accidentally.)