Sunday, December 15, 2013

Embracing the darkness

For anyone who works Monday to Friday at this time of year it would be very easy to restrict the road cycling to the weekend. But if you do then I think you are missing out on an opportunity.

Riding in the dark does have its problems but they are overcome by decent planning and provision. I ride on rural A and B roads so a decent lighting set up is required. I have two Hope 1 lights on the front and and depending on the road conditions I have them set differently. The most difficult time is when the roads are wet and on days like that I have both on full power. If the roads are dry then I run one on full power and the other on a lower setting or even blinking. At the back I have a Cateye with two independent rows of LEDs and side lights along with a seat stay mounted Fibre Flare in blink mode which has to be one of the brightest things I've ever seen. I also have a smaller Cateye rear light on the middle pocket of my jersey. Loads of reflective strips on my clothing and two extra reflective bands on my legs make me pretty bright. I've had it on good authority that I'm well lit up and easy to see. Job done!

My other advice about riding in the dark is about routes. I stick to well known roads not too far from home. I don't think the hours of darkness is the time to be riding on roads I don't know well or a long way from home. You do have to guard against complacency though and be aware that road surfaces can change from day to day. I found myself too close for comfort to a fallen branch the other morning after a windy night. And you do run the risk of meeting the occasional wild animal. My most surprising encounter with animals though was a flock of sheep coming down a hill because they were being moved from one field to another. My other tip is to keep it relatively short. You probably don't want to be riding for more than an hour and a half or so. I would suggest a maximum of two hours.

But I don't want to put you off. Riding in the dark can be magical. I will always remember cycling along a ridge road with all the lights of the towns along both sides of the Forth spread out before me. I should say it was cold that evening but nothing UK cyclists shouldn't be able to cope with. Remember that at night the temperature is unlikely to rise so make sure you are warm when you set off. My preferred dark rides are done in the morning which often has the advantage that you ride into the light. The ride that led me to write this occured last week and while I was home before sunrise I had the fabulous experience of watching the black sky turn dark blue and ever lighter blue as I cycled home. Glorious!

If you don't have powerful lights or live in a bigger town don't think this is not for you. Go out early, ride around your local streets and watch the place get ready for the day. I once did 20 miles of little loops in town and it couldn't have been more interesting! I followed the progress of the bin lorry as they did their rounds. What they thought of me I have no idea.

Morning Ride