Holiday season thanks: The Barb Howe diary

In this week's instalment, Barbarella relates her 'love' for riding in the rain and mud.

It's been raining in Northern California for what seems like an eternity. Christmas day was no exception with torrential rains causing flash flood warnings in various counties. My training plan called for three and a half hours on the fixed gear - sweet! I love the feeling when rain hits your legs, pools on your kneecaps, slides down your shins and puddles in your shoes. I love taking my glasses off at the end of a ride and realizing that I couldn't actually see for the last few hours. I love making it through a soggy ride without a flat, especially on the fixed gear. Most of all I love coming home and taking a hot shower.

During my Christmas ride I saw and was joined by only one other hardy soul who rode to escape the maddening noise of his children's new video games. Josh's Mom cooked for the evening and I was in charge of dessert. After decorating with ornaments from my childhood we ate dinner with Josh's family. His parents live on a little sailboat in Sausalito. A few plates of food and a few glasses of wine later I was down for the count on the couch. This is especially impressive because the any more than seven people on the boat feels like sardines. With Josh's parents, his brother, Josh and myself, the boat was a cosy unit.