Hi.
Last winter , in all honesty I didn't really enjoy cycling to much in the dark evenings. I think it was a combination of it being my first full winter of evening cycling , and the worry of cars not seeing me that put me off. Because of this my miles dropped off ,as I would only ride at the weekend in the daylight hours.By February this year all my hard work of the previous years cycling seemed to be slipping away in the terms of fitness. My weight started to increase slightly and the usual rides often felt a little harder. Come the spring though I was in full flight again and normal service was resumed.
This coming winter though, I really didn't want to get hung up on not wanting to cycle again in the evenings , so have taken some steps and some future planning to continue.I've ditched the cheap wilkos front bike light and invested in a decent Lezyn light to illuminate my way down the dark country roads. I,ve kept the Aldi cob lights on the bike as well as they are very good at making you visible to other road users ( but not very good at lighting your way ). The other big factor was choosing a decent route where cars are at a minimum, and the where the roads are of a half decent standard to cycle along. A lot of the quiet roads where I live are almost constantly caked in farm mud and pot holed quite badly, and the thought of riding along them on my pride and joy getting it absolutely filthy each time and dodging vicious pot holes is not what want to do.
So this week I've really been enjoying my evening rides out in the dark. The new front light is a transformation compared to my old one, and lights the tarmac up really well. The 20 mile route I took was only met by a dozen cars ,so the stress of traffic is none existent. Even in the dark it amazing what wildlife can be spotted. Tonight alone I spotted two badgers and a fox on my travels as well as the abundance of bats flying close by to me.
Coming home at night from work to an empty house and just sitting down in front of the tv is not something I relish throughout the winter. It's a long night by yourself ,so getting out on the bike for an hour or so really breaks the evenings up for me.It's a shame that the popularity of cycling really tails off from now to spring by so many, purely because of the fact it's cold and dark outside. With a little forward planning it can still be done safely and still be enjoyable" if not amazing."
Granted, I know many members here cycle all year around rain or shine, but if you were like me and a little apprehensive to cycling at night, I hope this post is of some help to you.
All the best and stay safe .
Johnny :-) :-)
Last winter , in all honesty I didn't really enjoy cycling to much in the dark evenings. I think it was a combination of it being my first full winter of evening cycling , and the worry of cars not seeing me that put me off. Because of this my miles dropped off ,as I would only ride at the weekend in the daylight hours.By February this year all my hard work of the previous years cycling seemed to be slipping away in the terms of fitness. My weight started to increase slightly and the usual rides often felt a little harder. Come the spring though I was in full flight again and normal service was resumed.
This coming winter though, I really didn't want to get hung up on not wanting to cycle again in the evenings , so have taken some steps and some future planning to continue.I've ditched the cheap wilkos front bike light and invested in a decent Lezyn light to illuminate my way down the dark country roads. I,ve kept the Aldi cob lights on the bike as well as they are very good at making you visible to other road users ( but not very good at lighting your way ). The other big factor was choosing a decent route where cars are at a minimum, and the where the roads are of a half decent standard to cycle along. A lot of the quiet roads where I live are almost constantly caked in farm mud and pot holed quite badly, and the thought of riding along them on my pride and joy getting it absolutely filthy each time and dodging vicious pot holes is not what want to do.
So this week I've really been enjoying my evening rides out in the dark. The new front light is a transformation compared to my old one, and lights the tarmac up really well. The 20 mile route I took was only met by a dozen cars ,so the stress of traffic is none existent. Even in the dark it amazing what wildlife can be spotted. Tonight alone I spotted two badgers and a fox on my travels as well as the abundance of bats flying close by to me.
Coming home at night from work to an empty house and just sitting down in front of the tv is not something I relish throughout the winter. It's a long night by yourself ,so getting out on the bike for an hour or so really breaks the evenings up for me.It's a shame that the popularity of cycling really tails off from now to spring by so many, purely because of the fact it's cold and dark outside. With a little forward planning it can still be done safely and still be enjoyable" if not amazing."
Granted, I know many members here cycle all year around rain or shine, but if you were like me and a little apprehensive to cycling at night, I hope this post is of some help to you.
All the best and stay safe .
Johnny :-) :-)
. Horses for courses, I know, but that's the bit I dislike. My heart falls a little, as soon as I'm back into the harsh, deadening orange "same-ness" of the street lights.
