Dan wanted to shakedown his new lighting system, and leaving at 10:00 PM disrupts little in our house except my bedtime, so I took advantage of rather spring-like weather and rolled out in the darkness. Within three miles of the start, we were on pitch-black back roads in Fox Chapel, going up and down, up and down, on the rollers of Old Mill. I was reasonably impressed with the light put out my two LED lights (a Cateye EL-500 and a NiteRider commuter model), though they paled in comparison to Dan’s SON-powered kit. The swoopy gravel descent on Old Mill was interesting, and I was most certainly riding by feel and my knowledge of the road rather than by what I could see.
Hills, like the grind up Indianola, seem to be easier in the dark. You can’t see the crest, so there’s nothing by which to judge progress. You simply pedal, and pedal more.
Best part of the ride? The short stretch of Church Lane, between Middle and Saxonburg, riding along open fields, illuminated by the moon and stars.
Posted on 27 March 2008