Cycling in the rain! Terrible, right? Actually, it isn’t… Actually, it is… Okay it depends. If it starts raining as you start or just after you start cycling then it’s terrible. But if it rains, a slight rain, when you’ve been riding for like an hour or two then it’s good. The rain cools down your body and calms you, then the sun comes back out, now that’s perfect.

Haya that being said, 6 of us were doing the 50 plus km ride. It started raining when we had been riding for about an hour or so. It was a beautiful drizzle, it made the tarmac shine, cooled our bodies then the sun came back out. It was perfect, we waited for each other and kept giving each other psyke. We got to our turning point and decided badala ya chai na mandazi we do a full meal. We have chicken tumbukiza…. Budaaaa it was epic. Kwa wale wanafloat wacha niwaelimishe… Tumbukiza varies based on the restaurant it’s made but its always put in a huge sinia… This particular one had fried chicken, chips, potato wedges and boiled maize… the maize is boiled with the chicken so it absorbs all the flavours and spices. Then kando unawekewa greens, ugali na kapilipili.

One hour later, the journey back began, stomachs full. We were very satisfied and excited human beings. It was quite uneventful until the last 10km. The rains came. And it wasn’t the beautiful rain, it was ile mvua ya Noah’s Ark. And we were going uphill. Wah! All of a sudden, we were not a team anymore. Everyone got strength sijui from where. All each of us just wanted was to finish this damn ride and get to our respective homes.

If you were on the road on that day, you would have seen me cycling towards you in slow motion, face filled with determination and intense intent kama wasee wa rugby, ‘Talking to the Moon’ playing in background, flashes of lightning filling the dark skies, a low rubble of thunder matching the waves of my thigh muscles… my bright white t-shirt sticking to my well chiselled chest, my toned arms shining with in the wet rain… PS. They are not ati muscled, chiselled or toned, ni hiyo maji maji ya mvua ilifanya contouring. Alafu nikikupita, everything changes, the slow-motion stops, ni mubaba tu fulani amelemewa na mlima anang’ang’ana na bike, hoping that hatapata limonia… My whole back was covered in silt and dirt and I was pretty much seated on matope. All I wanted was to get home, remove all those clothes hapo kwa doorstop and go straight to the hot shower. I eventually did. I stayed in the shower for like 2 business days.

By the way, my best writing ideas come when I walk or cycle… So if you see me parked on the side of the road ramming on my phone keyboard, I’m not sending an angry text. Kuna a young lady amenipita saa hii as I’m writing this, looked at me and I heard her mumble, ‘heh!’ as she turned away. Niko sure I’m someones muchene somewhere now.

Also I finally bought padded shorts, this is in reference to a story I wrote a while back. I’ll put the link in the comments… Hakuna kuumiza bolingo anymore… Contrary to popular belief bado siko ready for BDSM… Mimi ni msee wa 50 shades of grey lakini those 50 shades spread out over a period of 15 years.

This is a photo of today’s ride. Look at the beautiful mountain just over there glowing.

Muwe na siku njema kabisa.