NIGHT RIDER

I like riding at night. I know that several people are scared of it, not being visible to cars, not being able to see the road clearly, the creepy shadows, but I like it because everything looks different, a route that I have done a thousand times and has become monotonous and routine looks completely different at night. The roads, especially in the suburbs, are quieter too, as most people are home and settled in for the night, so I feel comfortable with the solitude.

The thing is that, I often feel safer riding at night, and more visible. As I mentioned, there aren’t as many cars on the road, I have reflective strips and blinking lights on the back of my bike, which draw attention, and my front light is almost blinding. During the day, drivers are more distractive by the added traffic and depending on the colour of the cyclist’s clothing, they blend in to the surroundings, becoming less visible from a greater distance.

As for front lights, I have two. Once I use when I am riding where there are streetlights and I can see the road clearly, so it is small, light, and very bright to draw attention from divers. The other light I have is brighter than the headlight on my motorbike and allows me to see everything on the road. We used to live in “fox and hound” country, about 45 min. from a major city, surrounded by farms, and no streetlights at all, it was very dark. I would commute to work and the light on my bike was so bright that cars would switch from their high beams before they actually saw me – they would see the glow from the light. It was the most amazing place to ride at night, it would be a busy night if I saw one or two cars, the crickets would be out, and I felt pure joy on my bike.

So the other night I went for a ride at 7:00, later than I wanted as I had to work late, put on my lights, Giro Atmos Helmet, warm clothing, and my Sepcialized Arc-X sunglasses with Adaptalite Technologie. These glasses are great because they really protect from the wind, and since I wear contacts the wind can be an issue. Plus, they are a great shape so that when I shoulder check the frame doesn’t impede my visions. Better still, which I learned on my rider the other night when it was bright when I left and dark when I got home, is the transitional aspect. I kept my glasses on for the whole ride and could see just fine, even in the dark – it was awesome.

Hopefully I’ll see on the road, day or night!