These were the words of a song my younger brother wrote at the tender age of maybe 5 or 6. Probably in the dead of a dreary Minnesota winter. Having looked ahead at multiple forecasts for the next week, these words came back to mind. The forecast? Rain, followed my more rain, with some thunderstorms mixed in with the…rain. 

My second ever Europe tour was a wet tour. It rained at least a notable bit every day except one, and that day happened to be a non-cycling day. I do believe I upgraded my wet weather gear after that year. I’ve had several years since where there have been wet periods. However, I got lucky the last two years. Both tours had great weather. Perhaps this year is intended to balance those two good years out?

This is the type of moment where I am glad to have the option to tour by velomobile. Regrettably I did not order the full hood for my Bülk Urban complete with wiper blade and anti-fog visor. I may come to regret that, but I do have a foam kayak cover and a rain cover for my helmet so I don’t think I’ll be too horribly miserable. I also packed a pair of non-tinted glasses and invested in a super lightweight waterproof backpack today from REI just in case any torrential rain should find its way to my clothes bag. 

You may have noted that I mentioned that new bag is lightweight. I fully confess that as I was packing up, I actually weighed each item of clothing and chose the lightest weight options for everything that I had. I need to haul myself and a bike over two mountain passes, so I’m packing only the bare essentials. That includes picking up a tiny little container of supposedly laundry soap sheets at REI rather than carry actual laundry soap. Mini toothpaste, mini tooth brush, etc. Even my tool kit is being pared down to the essentials and nothing more. 

I am hopeful of at least a bit of good weather during the trip. I’d like to see more than just the bottoms of the mountains. It’s a beautiful area to ride in. You never know what you’ll get when you plan a tour 4-6 months in advance.