Singin' in the Rain

We finally got some rain here in the deep south, and we decided to go riding in it. Actually, that's not quite right. We were out riding when it started riding, and we kept riding. I love riding in the rain. Not the lightning striking, monsoon downpour rain like we enjoyed at Santos, but your average, steady rain. The woods are beautiful and quiet, and all the colors seem to deepen. Most times, I'm already sweat-soaked anyway, so a little more wet really doesn't matter.
The other reason that I like it is that your average reasonable human is at home warm and dry and thinks we're crazy. Hell, a lot of the bikers around here think we're crazy. I'm not sure if the separatist, extremist quality of the sport drew me to it, or if I enjoy riding because I'm that kind of person. I've always valued being different from the herd, but I never use that as a motivation. And that's why riding in the rain is so much fun. The people that mountain bike because it's "Xtreme" and is the cool kind of thing you see in a mountain dew commercial don't ride when it's raining. They're busy standing around at cocktail parties and singles bars impressing people with stories of they're latest "Xtreme" ride. They wouldn't dare get all that muck and grit in the XTR workings of they're carbon double-bounce bikes. If asked why they're not riding, they may say it's for the good of the trails, but don't believe them. They just don't want to get messy.
So, I'll enjoy riding in the rain, or when it's 105 degree, or when it's 20 degrees and pissing sleet. I'll freeze, bake, suffer and repeat. I'll be riding while they sit at home and read about the latest $600 Italian retro wool jersey and how it defines style and who you are as a biker. They can leaf through the printed-on-heavy-stock, beautifully photographed catalogs. I don't think those catalogs are a tribute to our sport. I think they're trying to sell me something. But I plan to be too busy to listen.
I'll be out riding in the rain.