Bright Lights long cold nights

September is here, there is no escaping the changes in the weather and the darker evenings we have been experiencing of late, gone now are the runners (I wont see them again until January) and out again will be the road riders doing the local training loops....autumn is finally here albeit a little earlier than we would normally see it, but that is not to say it is a bad thing, I like many enjoy this time of year for so many reasons.

one of the biggest changes we see now is the nights drawing in, although I will miss riding in the sun it does bring out a more fun side to mountain biking for me, the night trail rides, back when I first started we had tiny little lighting systems that cast little light onto the trail and had short run times, these days technology has moved on and we now have 1900 lumen LED lighting systems that run for hours. I personally have a more modest (1000 lumen) but still effective set up.

Lumicycle HID and USE Joystick

Although times and technology has moved on one fact still remains and that it is the fun of riding normally familiar trails that have been altered by the changing seasons, illuminated by our lights that is so much fun, even riding slow feels like you are riding fast, branches looming out of the darkness and sudden changes in the trail, lightning fast reactions as you speed through the single track the trail only visible for a few meters in front of your front wheel.

Might riding is also relaxing forgotten are the ideas of training out on the trail, the GPS get moved from the bars and put into my back pack along side my hip flask and I just go out and enjoy the trail, in the depths of winter there is nothing but your breathing, the crunch or tires on frozen trail, the wild life around you and the stars above, there is something to be said for stopping out on the trail and turning off your lights and just sitting down and looking up at the stars sipping whiskey from my hip flask, only thing missing is a campfire.

Winter Warmer

Another creature comfort I have been enjoying lately is baking, in my last blog I put of some photo's of my first batch, they were from a Muffin kit, it is almost all pre made but today I made my first batch just from a recipe.

Lastly I managed to get out with the new camera recently, I am still getting to grips with the new software and camera body but so far I am very impressed, I hope you are too.

That is all for now, I hope to be back in a week or so with a further update and some tails from the trails.

Simon.