Robet Synak

Have there been any reports of chemical burns or allergic skin reactions of anyone riding in the west hills or around council crest this weekend? I just had a weird and furious postride outbreak of something on my legs. I'm a bit concerned. It's obviously something that splashed on my legs during my ride. I wanted to know if anyone else rode through some sort of toxic puddle. The four boundary points of my route: Cedar Hills Boulevard / Parkway in Beaverton; Mt Calvary Cemetery (58th & Barnes); Rose Garden reservoir; Council Crest (including the loop around).

And here's what I'm so freaked out about: I rode in the rain this afternoon and at the end of the ride was soaked from the waist down, dry from the waist up. I didn't notice anything amiss as I put my bike away and went inside. As I was taking off my shorts my legs looked more or less normal. Dark below the elastic line on the leg; white above it. Then the white space above the elastic line started to fill in in an angry red, as did the bottom of my legs. It was itching like I wanted to take the flesh off my legs. In the space of a minute or two I was in a complete panic, scratching desperately, and the skin of my legs was on fire. My wife fed me four benadryl and after about five minutes the itching and burning started to go down. She says she's never seen me so scared before. About an hour later there was still some residual itching, but things were much better. I've no allergies I know of.

It's definitely something that got on my skin. Only the parts of me that were soaked turned red. The area immediately underneath the elastic at the bottom of my shorts- a strip about 3/4" wide - stayed white. The area covered by my t-shirt and jacket, skin that stayed dry, stayed white. But my legs, which were soaked under my knee high shorts, soaked were they were bare, turned bright read and itched. Also, my feet were on fire, itching and crazy; my socks had been soaked the whole ride.

Like I said, my skin seems pretty much back to normal now, two hours later, but I'm kind of freaked out. In thirty years of road riding nothing like this has ever happened to me. Are there any other reports of wierdness like this?

I appreciate any insight anyone can give. Thanks.

Sincerely,
Robert Synak
503.807.4429