Riding on a Bicycle with an Umbrella

By Bec
Well, it’s officially rainy season: we have been told for the next month it rains almost every day. (So far, it’s rained twice in the last week: both times on our day off!) Rain is fine: I actually often like it. The sound of rain on the roof in the morning and at night when I’m lying in bed is one of my favourite sounds in the world, puddle-jumping is a sport just waiting to happen, driving in a car in a rainstorm gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling, and I love watching drops drip down the window or plop on the ground.
Having said that, rain is not quite as much fun when you are dressed and ready for work only to be faced with a bicycle ride standing between you and where you want to go. It’s not a new problem, really; it’s rained here quite often before. It’s more than a common sight to see people riding their bike with an umbrella. The first time I tried it, it was next to impossible and I gave up before long, but I have since learned how. However, it is no easy task for several reasons. The bikes here are not your standard North American bike: most are old lady bikes, with baskets and much thinner wheels. Simply riding one - without any of the extra tricks like using cell phones or taking an extra passenger - takes a bit of getting used to. But then if an umbrella is thrown in it poses a whole new set of problems. One difficulty is that you have one less hand; another is that the tiled sidewalks are incredibly slick and dangerous when wet. The other problems come from the umbrella itself. If you hold the umbrella too far in front, you run into the obvious problem of seeing nothing more than the inside of your umbrella. However, if you put it too far behind you, even a little, it turns into an instant parachute. The simplest solution would seem to be to hold it right above your head; however, the problem with this is that because the bike is in a forward motion, the rain tends to stream under your umbrella, making your pants, sleeves, and half of your shirt wet. I’ve had this problem a few too many times, and haven’t really noticed the point of going through all the hassle of using an umbrella only to end up at about the same point as I would anyway. That, and I found out the other week that it’s illegal. Who knew?
I choose to be a law-abiding (and wet) foreigner.