Most bicycle trips occur in dry conditions, in actual practice. On the website hetregenbijnanooit.nl a (Dutch) commuting cyclist records how often he has been rained on. Of his 288 trips in the past year 256 were dry and it rained on 32 days (11%). When questioned by the Belgian Fietsbond the national weather institute revealed it rains there six per cent of the time. That may appear to be more often, but that may be related to the fact that most rain falls between 15.00 and 18.00 hours.
Those in doubt may in future use the precipitation predictor of software company Demis, also developers of the Fietsersbond bicycle route planner. In this project the KNMI weather forecast for the next two hours is combined with the bicycle route planner developed by the company for Fietsersbond, within a 1 km grid. An internet map displays the amount (in mm) of rain to be expected along the way. The data may be combined with mobile phone location data. That will make it possible in future to obtain dedicated information en route.
The aim of the precipitation predictor is that cyclists may adjust departure time or route on the basis of this information. Fietsersbond requests cyclists to give their opinions on including a precipitation predictor in the bicycle route planner. See http://rain.roadidea.eu/route/