Caught out

It has been a cool and rainy June here in Utah this year, and it has really put a damper on my cycling time. So, after a week of non-riding when I got the chance to go out for a ride with a friend on Saturday afternoon, I jumped at the chance.

Our plan was to head up American Fork canyon to Tibble Fork reservior. We had attemped this ride last year and had to turn around early because one of us (it wasn’t me) was cooked. Now that my friend and riding partner is in much better shape, he lead the way up the mountain, determined to make our goal.

After passing Timpanogos Cave it started to drizzle. No big deal. When we got up to the Tibble Fork turnoff, it was a good, solid rain. I asked my friend if he wanted to turn around. “Nope. We’ve got to be able to say we made it this time.” After another 20 minutes of cycling uphill in the rain without it letting off, I thought we might be in trouble on the descent. Distant thunderclaps confirmed my fears.

As we approached the finish line (the Tibble Fork reservoir parking lot) the storm changed from a steady rain to an all-out downpour, a total deluge. It was coming down in sheets. It was fierce and fast. It rained and hailed so hard that it physically hurt. My friend and I took shelter underneath the eaves of a public restroom up at the parking lot.

Thankfully, a driver fleeing the storm caught sight of us and pulled over. “You guys want a ride down the mountain?” he asked. Since there isn’t any cell coverage up there, we had little choice. Also, this guy had a four-bike rack on the back of his truck. So we threw our bikes on the rack as fast as possible and jumped in.

On the way down we passed several rock / mud slides that were later reported on the local news. It would have been brutal coming down the mountain on our bikes.

He dropped us off at a gas station at the bottom of the canyon and we rode home, still soaked and cold, but we were thankful we didn’t have to wait out the storm and ride down the canyon.