Since hooking up with the ‘Moles in November, regular mid-week night rides have become de-rigeur in addition to the traditional weekend warrior missions.

After a few weeks of man-flu amongst the weaker sex and the female members having more valid excuses such as knee-ops and near-dysentry, the night ride attendance numbers are well-up of late and long may it last.

It really adds a new dimension to riding, making familiar trails appear foreign and there’s that element of danger from not quite being able to see everything (that’s despite Dave C and I having an unhealthy interest in night lights).

The other thing I appreciate is that you can’t see the enormity of the task when you’re at the bottom of that killer climb. You get up it fine (generally) just proving how much of this game is in the mind.

Last week’s ride was a classic example and an eventful ride. Big Dave bailing out before hitting a barbed wire fence on the Givons Grove Mad Mile descent and me jumping out of a bomb hole only to find a tree stump on my landing, up near Polesden. My lights only picked up the offending stump once I was disappearing over the bars and about to be shafted by my pedal, as my bike landed on the crumpled mess that was once me.

No harm done and great entertainment value for the other Moles so we live to fight another day.

If you don’t ride at night – DO! Its not normally quite so eventful but still immense fun, highly sociable, etc and your riding fitness improves far quicker than relying on just the one ride a week.

If your MTB life needs reinvigorating, look no further. Nightriding is MTB Viagra!

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