ukviking

Hi I solo night ride at least once a week in the winter and cant get enough of it. I have no problem with the darkness having spent many years sea fishing on my own in all winds & weathers. There is something magical about riding alone on a trail in the middle of the woods at night. This may seem dangerous & irresponsible but there is a reason why i do it. I am 56 and suffer with COPD which gives me only 50% lung capacity. This makes it very difficult for me to keep up with my friends and have to stop more frequently to recover. My friends are very understanding but i end up putting pressure on myself to keep up with them. If I ride on my own then i can stop whenever i need to without feeling I,m spoiling anyones ride. When night riding i dont go fast but concentrate on my technique and just enjoy the simple act of riding the bike on rough terrain. An added bonus is the wildlife i see on the trail. For example I went out last night & saw 3 deer, 2 badgers and a fox. I switched my lights off to soak up the atmosphere and rest the legs & within 5 minutes had 2 owls calling in the trees above my head. How often can you say you have had these experiences riding during the day? I always record my rides with Viewranger and have the Buddy beacon facility switched on so my wife can see exactly where i am should anything happen. I ride with 2x 5000lm solar storms on the handlebars & a 1200lm spot on my helmet ( they are very rarely used on full power) I also carry a spare battery. I feel i have done as much as i can to minimize the risk with solo night riding. For anyone who has never tried it, give it a go and you yourself may have a EUREKA moment. Enjoy!!

Nice one Tom, it makes a change to see someone post a video that represents the riding standards that 90% + of us are at or even aim to attain. We see so many awesome vids posted on here that we tend to think this is the norm. Well it isnt and it never will be!! I admire the guy for posting it. Where is the encouragement from everyone? Well done also to PB for putting it on. Mountain biking is a sport enjoyed by all ages and abilities and I am sure PB like to represent the whole spectrum. Vids like this do just that. If you dont like the footage thats fine but all this "I can ride better than you" bulls**t is not helpful. Keep on enjoying yourself Tom