Sometimes it’s best to launch yourself into doing something before you can talk yourself out of it. Colder weather means excuses not to ride come more easily. Shorter days mean that there’s actually less time in the day to ride. There’s good news though; bike lights are really good nowadays and relatively cheap. I’ll bet you have a set or two that have rarely been attached to your bike. If you don’t, that’s OK because even the K-Mart ones are alright.
So maybe you were never a morning person and maybe the cold has made the thought of getting up early to ride even less appealing. But there’s still the night. You’re almost definitely still wide awake in the evening and you know all that extra eating and sleeping you’ve been doing through the winter is probably the reason why you’re not feeling as well as you’d like. You know what I’m going to say next. Pump the tyres, get those lights on and lube the chain on that whip. Throw yourself out the door. It doesn’t matter if you have a mountain bike and some trails nearby or a bike that prefers sealed surfaces and the city lights on your doorstep. Just get out and go before you think too much more about it.
My most recent one was a multi-terrain jaunt on an XC mountain bike (yes, my Scott). Some dirt, some roads, some sealed bikeways. The last rays of light were growing ever dimmer on the horizon as I rolled out. I had on three thin layers and a small jacket rolled up in my bum bag just in case. They were mostly the clothes I was wearing that day with the addition of some nicks under my shorts so planning was minimal. Remember, don’t think too much about this.
Through the bikeways in the conurbations I glided and into the Bunyaville State Forest. Fresh. I kept it sensible by staying away from the mountain bike trails and sticking to the fire roads instead. They were plenty exciting in the dark but you know your own limits. My headlamp revealed the tiny shower of dirt spraying constantly off my front tyre which I’d never usually see in the day. Curlews squealed. Those tall, lanky night birds with the big eyes that seem constantly to be forecasting impending doom. Onward.
Up onto Dugandan Rd now with forest on both sides. I crunched along the wide, dirt shoulder at the side of the road. Pitch black outside the beam of my headlamp. I was flying through outer space. Again. Down the big dipper into Bunya Crossing now. More trails and over the causeway. I stopped for a quick drink and watched the insects swarm my headlamp like a teeny, tiny rave in the middle of the bush. The cold was long forgotten now.
I climbed into Eatons Hill and followed the trails along the Pine River to join the path under Old Northern Rd and up to the shopping centre and sports fields. Night lights from the shops and from the cars in the peak hour traffic jam. None of that for me though as I rolled past them along the path above the road and dropped down into the new bikeway at the sports fields. Soccer, cricket, rugby. Flood lights. Pick ups and drop offs. Onward.
I was back in the dark now along Cribb Rd and it felt homely. Comforting. The XC tyres hummed along the rough asphalt as I reached what felt like warp speed along the slight decline in the still night air. As the corner came up, I spotted a new latch on the gate leading into the horse paddock at Leitch’s Crossing. The story goes that old man Leitch allowed his piece of land to become a public thoroughfare here and somewhere along the way we ended up with this lovely concrete path and causeway back over the Pine River and into Albany Creek. Pretty neat. The horses had their blankets on and stirred just a little on either side of the path as I went through the paddock and gate on the other side.
Into the conurbations once more and up the long straight into Albany Creek where the last trails of the ride await. Dawn Road Reserve. I slip into a small singletrack, behind a row of houses and into the darkness of the reserve. The headlamp goes onto the high setting again. I hear movement everywhere in the bush surrounding me. They’re well hidden but there’s kangaroos and wallabies everywhere in here. If you come just before sunset, you’ll catch a glimpse but it’s bedtime now and I feel a bit like I’ve traipsed through their bedroom. Better keep moving.
Once I pop out of the other side of the reserve, there’s one last climb and then I’m on the home stretch. It’s the end of this nocturnal mini adventure. I’m already imagining the next one but also trying not to plan it too much.
Ride safe (especially in the dark) and see you out there sometime.