Feature Article

Some Thoughts On Night Road Riding

By James Thompson

 Most of us think of night riding as something to do for kicks on a mountain bike.  Indeed, that is a great way to get out in the country and see the stars in all their glory.  I have fond memories of getting lost out at the old Hard Rock trail near Ocala with my grad school buddies, then stopping in complete silence, lights off, to find myself engulfed in pure pitch black.  If the moon is waning or waxing, you will sometimes discover the whites of eyes of dozens of animals staring at you.

All that trail fun aside, night riding on the road can also be a distinctive pleasure.  Contrary to misperceptions, I find it safe and pleasant.  Consider that there are few cars on the road at all between midnight and dawn.  I go for miles, even on a big highway like Hawthorne road, and see no one.

It is also very, very quiet.  Most people are asleep.  The hum and buzz of the day is dulled.  You are left alone with your thoughts, the sound of your breath, the swish of tires on tarmac or the crunch of limerock.

Believe it or not, I tend to stay on the big roads at night.  I feel safer with the rumble strips on Williston and across the Prairie (I live in Micanopy--South Side Represent).  I find that 301 from Hawthorne to Citra, which most of us avoid like the plague during daylight hours, becomes a wide open strip of cycling heaven.  If you take it on past towards Ocala it gets a little busier, but still better than daylight.

But shouldn’t I be sleeping?

Well, yes and no.  I believe when I was younger and still growing that riding at night would have been a little stressful to my circadian rhythms (nighttime is when you heal a lot of tissue and put out the most growth hormone), but I don’t find it to disrupt my energy if I keep it to no more than two or three rides a week.  

There are some mild negatives that should be addressed.  For one, you will go a little slower because of limited vision, even with the best lights.  Your perceived speed is greater at night, so account for this if you are training at a particular intensity.  

Animals can be a problem on smaller back roads, but I have had no trouble with them on the big roads.  Sometimes deer won’t move, especially if a doe or stag is standing between you and a fawn.  I stop and lift my bike up over my head and shake it--looks silly, seems to work.  I have had to ride cautiously in the opposite lane within a few feet of a doe who was planted nervously in front of her baby.

For the most part, I enjoy riding at night.  There is something sublime about a sky painted full of stars.  

Did I mention it is a lot darn cooler too?

See out there.  

Keep the Rubber Side Down.