NIGHT RIDER

     Last night I joined some Bicycle Sport Shop (BSS) peeps for a relatively short (sixteen miles) trek around various parts of Austin.  I'm familiar with the route, as it is a winter staple, but haven't ridden it for a couple of years.  This would be my first night ride in awhile, not counting the Pflugerville Monday Night Recovery Ride which ended with Daylight Savings.  I don't count this ride because at least half of it is in daylight.
     Anyhow, eleven of us put the wheels in motion at 6:00 pm.  The first thing that crossed my mind was I really need to get clear lenses for my Oakley glasses.  You would think that these lenses would be discounted since they have been obsolete for at least ten years.  I bought them in 2001, with three sets of lenses: grey, gold iridescent, pink.  The pink worked okay, but clear would have been better.  This was to be a slow-to-moderate pace as we had several folks just getting back into shape.  The pace was moderate, nowhere close to slow.  But, we were in town and there were sufficient stop signs and red lights for regrouping.
     Several miles into it we turned right and encountered a slight grade.  The pace didn't slow and we dropped riders.  At the next turn we waited and regrouped.  Two of us weren't having a good night and allowed they would call it an evening and return to the start.  Our route now was in the hills, with light to zero traffic.
     I really like this particular part of the course.  In the daytime.  Going downhill at 30 mph when you can't see the road takes a certain amount of daring (or acceptance of your fate if you screw up).  Of course, I had blinking red lights in front to help keep my bearings.  BTW, this section has me hitting forty mph in the daytime.  Several of the turns around Lake Austin had me braking until being completed.  I silently cursed my light.  It is a good light, but about half the lumens of a couple of the others, who look like car lights.  Plus, with my new, larger-in-circumference handle bars, it had to be mounted on the right hand side and pointed toward the left.  I've had this light about five years and tonight discovered (after 90% of the ride) that the mount actually rotated so I could have pointed it directly in front of me.  Never too late to learn!
     The rest of the return was uneventful, other than me hitting a couple of potholes.  I'm quite thankful for my Continental 4000 tires and Rolf Vector Pro wheels (also purchased in 2001).  It struck me as we pulled into the parking lot at the end that riding at night seems a lot longer than it really is.  The total time of an hour and a half (including stops) seemed much longer.  The sixteen miles could easily have been mistaken for twenty-four. I'll see if the same feelings happen next week.