Biking down Haleakala... In a downpour??

The first thing the driver says as I get into the van is that our bike guide has cancelled because of the rain.
Last night, I was paying very close attention to my Doppler app, watching one of the biggest systems I've ever seen sweep in over the island.
So we'll instead get a guide that is willing to do 2 tours down the mountain today, God love him... I hope these bikes have the awesome brakes that the say they have. And today I get to test the skills that I HOPE I have.
I've read that the sunrise over the clouds is an almost spiritual experience, albeit a freezing cold one. It's in the 30s at the summit in the morning and probably 40 degrees warmer at the end of the ride, in the little hippy seaside town of Pa'ai (pronounced like paella but with a hard E.)
But I've also read that the sunrise is hard to predict and that even though the summit SHOULD be above the clouds, there's no guarantee that you'll see a pretty sunrise. Even though it's a crap shoot,  I have decided to get up at the wicked hour of 2am to chance it. After all, I may never get the chance to ride a bike down the side of a volcano again...
I asked our van driver what are the factors that make a good sunrise and got the answer that if we smile, the gods may smile back on us... Not the definitive answer I was hoping for, but we'll see... So maybe if you smile with me in 3 or 4 hours, we'll be blessed with some beautiful pics. If not, forget you people... ;)