Congrats to the small group of us who went out to brave the dark. Dan, Scott, Chris, and I completed this one. I certainly enjoyed it, and the rest of you seemed to be smiling at the end.
We started riding into the gathering dusk at 7:00 PM. It was pretty much dark by the time we left the edge of town. It's fun to be out there with other riders, the combination of multiple light sets adds to the ride.
The night was excellent for riding. It was cool, but not cold, and we had enough hill work to keep us warm. The sky was severe clear, with a new crescent moon just hanging low on the horizon. It was possible to see commercial jets lighting up and descending toward Atlanta. With the clear conditions, we could see planes over 40 miles away. An unexpected benefit to last night's ride was the added visual provided by the folks who decorate their yards for Halloween. Some of these displays are amazing. Some are just plain weird!! All were entertaining.
The details: We rode 17 miles at a good steady pace. The route was hilly, with a surprising amount of traffic in places. We completed in an hour and fifteen minutes, not bad time over this route.
One additional note: It's odd, motorists behave differently when they encounter a group of cyclists at night. They tend to stay back behind us longer, and most are a bit more cautious about making their passes. Of course we encountered two idiots who own the road, but on the whole we were treated well.
Hope to see more of you along the next time.
The clear skies made this a much more rewarding ride- let's watch the weather forecast for these type of conditions when planning future Nights Under Lights rides ! SR
ReplyDeleteThanks SR! I always submit my weather requests in advance. The weather fairy doesn't honor them. (grins)
ReplyDelete