Stood there, my nose pressed up to the office window watching the rain pelting down onto the street below and an old lady grappling with an umbrella that was attempting to make a bid for freedom, I pondered the wisdom of riding in the rain.

Unfortunately, living in the UK, as in most northern European countries, rain is part and parcel of daily live. Unless you simply stop riding when it falls (as many do) you’ll have to face up to getting wet on the bike.

I realised, as I stood there in Lycra watching the world pass by the street, pulling a cap onto my head and zipping up my rain jacket, that now is the time to prepare yourself for the winter, both mentally and with your wardrobe decisions.

As previous years have proved, August can traditionally be a wet month but that doesn’t mean winter is here. September can usually be a fine month for weather, so there are plenty of dry calendar days for riding ahead of us. But the summer is over. It’s time to accept that.

And what better way to prepare for the impending winter than to not let this current burst of wet weather stop you from riding? When I was kitting up to ride that day, I considered using an alternative form of transport to get home, to avoid getting wet. Just the thought of the rain in the face and spray drenching every part of the body – I couldn’t face it.

It dawned on me, now is the time to get used to that feeling of getting wet and of being cold, the wind whipping at your face and the ‘Belgian toothpaste’ effect from riding on dirty gritty roads. Embrace the rain. Only then will you be mentally prepared for the full onslaught of the winter in a couple of months time.

Or you could just book a one-way ticket to Lanzarote…