Posted by Les Faber in I’ve been thinking about this post for some time. One of the great things about cycling is that you can carve time out for a ride pretty much anytime. There isn’t too much prep work involved. I prefer riding in the evening after a tough day at work. Some time to unwind…..
As this year’s cycling season has progressed, I have been taking mental notes of some of the things I should | shouldn’t be doing when I go out on my evening rides.
Here are some pointers that may help you when going out for your own evening rides. Hopefully you will find them of use. If I missed anything, please comment and I’ll update this post accordingly.
Sunset Cyclist
In no particular order:
- Have a rough idea of where you are going. Don’t just start cycling with no “plan”.
- Know when the sun will be going down. That’s easy enough to figure out. You can use one of many websites. There’s nothing worse then finding out that your ride will end in total darkness.
- Have some nighttime illumination – just in case.
- Let someone know where you are going and when you should be expected back.
- If you have a cellphone, bring it along.
- Make sure you have a repair kit, etc with you. The only flats I have ever had were when I forgot my repair kit!
- Until you leave, you won’t know which way the wind is blowing. Make sure that your ride begins into the wind… and ends with the wind at your back. Be open minded.
- Do all those bike maintenance things before you leave… tire pressure etc…
- If leaving around dinner time, target roads that will have little commuter traffic. I actually drive towards the city if I can as most drivers are doing their best to escape the city.
- Beware of areas where there is daytime construction as truck traffic can be heavy at the end of a shift.
- Bike with a buddy. Solo rides can be fun. But a second person provides some added security.
- Bring a jacket or equivalent. Temperatures drop quickly as the sun sets.
- Be prepared for rain. Many areas experience evening thunderstorms during the Summer months.
- Plan your route in such a manner that your ride back does not see you riding into the setting sun. When the sun gets low, visibility is impaired and cars etc will not be able to see you as well as they would normally.
Ride on!
Great post. Definetely gotta watch the afternoon/evening thunderstorms here. If it rains hard it determines where I ride.