First Night Ride of the year!

October 29th

I must be the queen of procrastination this year. I've been looking for people to ride with for ages, I've been surfing the web and seeing group rides being advertised but never getting the motivation enough to get out there and join them, preferring to go ride (and play on my bike) on my own at a time and place only I have to agree with myself. But... I've yearned to do a night ride and I just am sensible enough to realise I really should not go night riding on my own.

So... I blocked out my Wed night work diary so no-one could book a call, I charged up my lights (or so I thought) and packed my muddy bike in the car. After my last work call I grabbed my lights, tested them, aaaagh one works but the best one does not! How come? It's been charging for 8hrs! Surf to www.lumicycle.com check charging instructions- ah- should have plugged battery into charger before plug charger into socket. Let's try that, yep its working but too late for tonight, I'll just have to survive on backup light from Fenix, strapped on helmet.

Arrive at Nirvana 15 mins early. 3 other riders there but gradually that builds to 12 riders, all blokes and all regular riders with mainly light XC bikes or hardtails. mmmm my idea that we would play on Singletrack for a couple of hours may not be realised! We leave sometime around 6:45/7 and sprint off into the cold night. There is snow around in places remnants from the sudden drop in temp last night and snow storm.

The pace is fast but George hangs back with me and keeps me chatting. My bike and its extra pound of mud seems inappropriate for this riding style and I start to worry. We pick up Dave at Abinger and continue on up to Holmbury. I'm always at the back with someone, the pack always waits for us but as soon as I arrive we head off so I really get no breaks.

It's dark and I'm chasing lights so its tough to realise where we are in the Downs but I soon realise we are approaching Peaslake. Now I'm worried if I'll have the stamina and pace to make it back! I drop my saddle to ride Golden Birdies for the first time in the dark at least I know where the diagonal roots are as its pretty wet and slushy with melting snow.

But we go further and soon I can see we are over at Winterfold woods and there is talk starting of stopping at the pub (I realise I forgot my wallet- I'll be popular!). We lose the rest of the group at a singletrack turn we missed so we scoot around our own trails to try and regroup. Someone comes and finds us and leads us on. We're back in Peaslake and climbing to Holmbury, down Yoghurt pots which is surprisingly drier than I expected and then the off camber bit under Telegraph. Finally arriving at the Kings Head in Holmbury for a drink after George took a tumble off a climb.

Getting cold in the pub and pulling on that fleece and buff that I threw in my pack as an afterthought (thankfully). We still had to get back to Westcott! Now its only 1 degree outside and my clothes are wet. My teeth start to chatter as we ride down the road and I cannot control them however hard I try, my whole upper body is shivering uncontrollably. George, Hugh and I cut off up a climb which helped warm us a little and by the time we got to the A25 we were ahead of the pack. At Wotton Hatch we cut off road again and no more climbs to Nirvana and said my goodbyes - quickly packing my bike in teh car and whacking the heater on high for the drive home. Home by 11:15- a bit more of an epic than I thought.

Will I go back? I thought not at first but then it will be good for my fitness, so maybe I will build up my hardtail so I can ride a lighter bike around and not hold the back so much.

Glad I finally got out there though.