Tour de Palm Springs riders prepare to weather course & storms

UPDATE: 7:13 p.m.

Joel Johnson at Joel’s Bicycle Shop in Thousand Palms said he and his family have been helping riders gear up for this weekend’s Tour de Palm Springs.

“It’s a great fundraiser,” Johnson said. “I hope it keeps going for many years.”

But while many will ride throughout the valley, areas throughout the Southland are expecting to ride out significant rain.

Johnson said two things bike riders should routinely check are both tires and brakes before going out and riding either during or after rain.

“You’ve gone through water and you’ve got water on your rims, you’ve got water on your brake pads, and guess what, water is an extra lubricant,” Joel’s Bicycle Shop head mechanic Kevin Johnson said.

Which is why they say it’s key to keep your bike maintenance in check.

“People need to prepare their bikes more before they get ready for these rides,” Joel Johnson said. “Sometimes they go out and their tires aren’t very good. And mechanically, they haven’t taken the bike in for years. And they need to do that.”

Other advice Johnson has for when riding in rain is to watch out for puddles, not knowing what may lie underneath.

———-

ORIGINAL STORY: 4:42 p.m.

Many people are expected to ride in the Tour de Palm Springs bicycle race this weekend, and they’ll not only be weathering the course, but also the expected storms.

KESQ News Channel 3 and CBS Local 2’s Zak Dahlheimer spoke with local bicycle experts about proper riding when it’s wet outside. Bicycle mechanics said you should always get your bike checked out before you head out during, or after the storm.

We’ll deliver more safety tips and advice for your ride in Zak’s report on CBS Local 2 at 5:30 p.m. and on KESQ News Channel 3 at 6 p.m.