Monthly Archives: May 2013

Old LaHonda loop… at night!

skyline_different_light
Seeing Skyline in a different light

It had been a while since I’d done a “real” ride (not a commute home) at night. Too long. So when the opportunity came today, when Kevin decided he needed a sort of make-up ride for the one he missed Thursday morning, why not? Beautiful night out there; didn’t need leg warmers or a jacket. Far more bugs than cars. In fact, really few cars the entire way, with the exception of heading home over Jefferson.

Lights? You bet! Niterider Lumina 650 up front for Kevin, older Niterider 600 for me, plus Serfas Thunderbolt flashing white front lights and an assortment of flashing tail lights to keep us obnoxiously-visible.

Most curious thing I noticed was Kevin’s reluctance to ride at normal speed heading down 84 into Woosdide. I’ve found that reasonably-adequate lighting allows me to descend at nearly the same speed I’d be doing in daylight, assuming it’s a road I know, and 84 is a road I know very, very well. Just get in the groove and go. I can almost do it with my eyes closed, I know the corners so well. Nevertheless, I don’t want to discourage any sense of sanity that Kevin may actually have.

Yet another nice day on a bike

What better way to spend a couple hours in the morning?
What better way to spend a couple hours in the morning?

It had been a pretty sleepless night, maybe 3.5 hours or so, and as I’m tossing and turning and noticing the clock says 3am, beginning to wonder if it’s going to make sense to try and ride. But that’s not really an option, and at worst, I consider it training for my trip to France just over a month away, where minimal sleep can sometimes be the norm.

Interestingly, when I got Kevin up at 6:55am, he gave me that “Dad, no way, I can’t ride, I feel terrible because I didn’t get much sleep” routine. And for some reason I gave in, decided not to try and drag him out there, something which he later admits to being a mistake.

Glad I rode anyway; I find that getting out on a ride, with very little sleep, somehow seems to recalibrate and energize me so that I can survive the rest of the day. That and I would have otherwise missed the beautiful views up on Skyline and elsewhere, as we’re in yet another “transitional” day between cooler & slightly-damp weather and the high temps that are supposed to kick in tomorrow. My only frustration would come later on, after downloading the ride and discovering I was just two seconds off my best time between the lower and upper gates at Huddart Park on the way up. Hate that!