Let’s have a show of hands – who got out for a ride at the weekend? I didn’t. If you did, you may have come across the same scene as Mark Cavendish, seen wading into knee-deep flood water in Essex in this picture tweeted by Rob Hayles.

Rainfall in the south east of England over the past month has been more than 65 per cent higher than what we’d normally expect to see at this time of year and that came to a head over the weekend.

Heavy rain and howling winds saw water lashing against the window and the prospect of pulling on cycling kit and venturing out onto flooded roads was a daunting prospect.

Still, when you’ve got a rainbow jersey to parade, a Tour de France green jersey to defend and a gold medal at the Olympic Games to win, there’s no excuse for not getting out – and at least the sun was shining for Cavendish.

“I told @MarkCavendish there would be plenty standing water… not plenty standing IN water,” tweeted Hayles.

I suppose this is why most pros opts for the sunny climes of Girona, Majorca or Tuscany as their training base…

Did you brave the weekend’s weather and get out for a ride? Tell us on the forum.