Biking in the rain is a challenge.

Some of the challenges I was ready for; that brief moment when you hit your brakes, and it actually feels like you’re speeding up (it’s an illusion, of course; your body expects to slow down, and it doesn’t, at least not as quickly as you think you will) is old hat to me.

And while this summer is my first real experience at bike commuting, I was ready for the big challenge.

Let me explain.

When you bike on a wet surface, your tires throw off water in a plane directly out from the center of the tire.  This is especially true on thin little road-bike tires like mine, which come to a pretty fine peak (to cut down on rolling resistance); you can actually see water sheeting off and flying into the air in an almost-plumb-straight line.

Now, if you don’t have fenders (and I don’t), that water’s gotta go somewhere; that somewhere is a fat, wet, sloppy line from your butt to your neck, straight up your back.

But I rode to work, secure in knowing that a hot shower and a change or two of dry clothes (one in my backpack, another stowed in my cube just in case) awaited me.

But as I wheeled down the busy street, I came up behind a couple of the guys I’ve noticed before (see Item #4 in this post); guys riding in their dress shirts and khakis.

And, but for the windbreaker one of them wore, that’s exactly how they were dressed this morning.  No back fender.  Big sloppy muddy wet skid mark up the back of their khakis and dress shirt.

They pulled into the government office building, and – presumably – went to work.  Skid mark and all?

I don’t know.  I really just don’t know.