Stepping Out On A Limb

This is a step out on Faith, and that’s a pretty good theme for the week.  Why?  Well, our annual Tour of Faith charity century is this coming Saturday.  That’s one.  I’m going to schedule not one, but three seasonal night rides, and that’s two, three, and tfour.  And I have the belief that someone will read this thing and take heed, and that’s a big five.

Follow the link for more info on the Tour of Faith.

While on the subject:  We could use a couple or three SAG drivers.  Really.  Please contact me if you can change a tire, have a pickup or large car, and are willing to spend a Saturday helping other folks have a great time.

Seasonal Night Rides:  Like a lot of things, this wasn’t something that really planned, it just sort of happened, and it seems to be gathering a following.  So I’m gonna go out on a limb and schedule two more of them.

First a bit of explanation.  Since the first of these rides took place on the Summer Solstice it seemed reasonable to follow suit, and we did the second one on Mid Summer’s Eve.  (For the purists, I should note, we didn’t do this on the historical night of the ancient festivals, but rather on the actual night of the middle of the Summer.)  Seems like we have a theme going here.  So the next one of these rides we’ll do will be on September 20, 2010.  That’s not quite the actual nite of the Fall Equinox, but the night before.  It still works nicely though, as the equinox is the next day.

In keeping with the theme, we’ll do the following one on October 25, and call it Mid Fall Night Ride.  It’s not quite the middle of the fall season, but close enough, and it misses another big date comfortably.

That brings us to a ride that should land pretty close to the Winter Solstice.  Well guess what?  We already do one then, and we call it…    the Christmas Lights Night Ride.  And, sonuvagun if December 20 doesn’t land smack on a Monday!  The very night before the actual Winter Solstice.  Seems like it was destined to be.

We’ll keep the format pretty much the same.  Dress for weather.  Ride in whatever is happening.  Appropriate night riding equipment required.  Start finish venues will be announced in advance. The rides, with the exception of the Christmas Lights Ride, will all be approximately 45 miles long.  Routes won’t be announced in advance, but I’ll pick some good stuff, and keep it varied.  I expect we’ll be leaving a bit earlier for these late in the year rides, as it will get darker, and cooler earlier in the evening.

Just one more note on this night riding stuff.  I hope folks will see this.  When you get some practice with night riding, and assemble the necessary equipment, it can greatly extend your riding seasons.  Autumn in north Georgia.  wonderful, prolonged Autumns here.  The problem is, it gets dark earlier.  With good lights, and good technique, it’s possible to start in daylight, continue into the dark, and get home safely, all the while riding in delightful weather, and gorgeous conditions.  (Just a bit of a hint there.)