Day 38: Lots and Lots of Rain
Sunday Morning Sports
The spring-to-summer months are arguably my favorite time of the calendar when it comes to sports. The MLB, NBA and NHL are all in full-swing, with the NBA in the exciting phases of the Playoffs. The Lakers are currently in a heated battle with the Warriors, which makes for a great SoCal vs. NorCal spectacle. I’m rooting for my Lakers and Lebron to make it to Finals. “Beat L.A.” is my favorite chant ever. I was also really pumped to hear Lebron’s son, Bronny, announcing his commitment to USC (my college university). It might be time that USC gets back to its glory days, but I don’t want to jinx it.
Outside of the US, numerous sports are also hitting their strides and preparing for some major upcoming competitions, from the PTO Triathlon Cup races to F1 to professional Cycling to European football. All of my favorite sports (except the NFL) are on. My television is rarely off during these months as I stream numerous sports all at the same time. If there was an NFL RedZone, but for all sports, I would buy that subscription in a heart beat. For now, (il)legal streams are fine. And who knows, maybe I can watch an F1 race or a Giro d’Italia stage race in person 😄.
Bike Ride (aka Shower Time)
Inspired by the tremendous performances put on the riders in La Vuelta Femenina and the Giro d’Italia, I decided to jump onto my bike for a short spin up to Schloss Solitude and the trails around it. Checking the weather, it said to expect rain by 5:00PM or so. It was more than enough time for me to head out and back. Or so I thought.
As I took a winding path out of the valley, I finally made it to Schloss Solitude after heading up some brutal climbs. I’m almost positive one segment had a 17% gradient. Breaking out my snacks (just a bag of trail mix) and taking a few pictures of the main palace grounds, I could feel a slight drizzle. Next, came the loud rumble of some very big rain clouds.
30 seconds later, I was completely drenched from head to toe. Every single part of my body was soaked, from my hair to my cycling kit to my socks and shoes. The rain felt like ice needles with the wind. Thankfully, with my tire set (I’m currently running a set of DT Swiss G540db 28” tires) has a lot of traction, so I wasn’t very worried about the slick roads, especially with a mean tread pattern that digs into the road well.
What I was worried about was how I would navigate and ride at the same time. I only have my phone with me, which is definitely not water resistant or waterproof in any way. I had to make my way home from memory. This only worked so far. Ducking under the cover of an U-Bahn station, the rain fall quickly turned to a heavy hail storm. Now I was concerned about riding safely. I decided to call it a day, and made my way back from Botnang on the U2, connecting to the U34 in Berliner Platz which took me back home to Marienplatz. Everyone was completely drenched. The floor of the train was covered in rain and lightning flashed outside for the entire trip home.
Afternoon In
Getting off at Marienplatz, I jumped on my bike and quickly rode home (less than 5 minutes away). Peeling off my shoes, socks and cycling kit, I jumped into a hot shower and warmed up with a bowl of Ramen noodles. I spent the rest of the afternoon on the couch, reading, watching some television and taking a short nap, all to the sound of heavy thunder and rain. Today's ride left me exhausted.
Dinner
After briefly prepping for the week, I hopped over to Das Lehens, a traditional brewery restaurant. I had a plate of Spätzle, Linsen, und Saitenwurst (translation: noodles, lentils and sausage) with a Radler. That really hit the spot.
Because most of the tables were reserved, I ended sitting at a shared/communal table. The person sitting across from me was a German national, living and working in Shanghai. We had a good conversation about how Covid is currently transforming the semiconductor industry (his professional domain), what it’s like to live and work abroad, and the transformation within the German industrial sectors.
We swapped numbers and agreed to meet-up again for beers soon. It’s definitely a challenge to get out of my comfort zone, but I love meeting new people and seeing where the conversation goes. Wrapping up my evening with a quick stroll around the block, I’m now ready to hit the bed before yet another busy week ahead.
Frieden und Liebe ❤️ (translation: peace and love)