Moto Diaries

Viewing entries tagged with 'wet weather gear.'

Ten hours in a thunderstorm.

Posted by Derek Mansfield on 13 June 2011 | 1 Comments

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I was staying in Zatoka, http://www.zatoka-ua.org/2009-05-05-12-38-50.html a spit of land 80 kms east of Odessa that stretches across a natural bay in the Black Sea.
On Saturday, Zadoka had a tropical downpour.  Three hours of thunder, lightning and rain that the left the streets knee-deep in flood water and impassable for everything but 4x4s. 
I carefully checked the weather for the ride back to Kiev on Sunday. Leave Zatoka between 0800 and 11.00 in sunshine, arrive Kiev 14.00 to 17.00 in sunshine.
No problem, except it was 12.00 when I got moving. And being exceptionally clever and cool, I had left the wet weather gear in Kiev.
For the next 10 hours I was stuck between two tropical storm fronts moving north at approximately the same speed as me.  Solid rain, gales, cold and distinctly disturbing lightning.
Although the journey was only 560 kms (350 miles) because I had no wet weather kit and wore a half helmet and shades the ride was  tougher than my first 1000 mile Iron Butt. http://www.ironbutt.com
So cool is ok, stupid is not. In future I will pack wet weather gear regardless.

I was staying in Zatoka, a spit of land 80 kms east of Odessa that stretches across a natural bay in the Black Sea.

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