NORTHERN EXPOSURE

My first night ride was 25 years ago. It was a fun, novel twist to biking and, at the time, it felt like a new string to my cycling bow that I would definitely like to do more frequently. Yet, through a combination of less-than-reliable equipment and a general lackadaisical attitude to getting out when it’s dark, my nocturnal pedalling all too quickly became a brief and passing fad.

Fast forward to now, however, and I’ve embraced our darker evenings once again, largely due to both the advances in technology and a reluctance to watch people baking things and dancing around on the telly during our winter evenings. With fewer daylight hours at this time of year comes a general feeling that time is limited, but you have to remember that each day is still 24 hours long. The contrast with daylight bike riding is stark and the night provides a whole new adventure dimension. It’s quite simply just lots of fun, so light up and get out – I highly recommend it.

Modern bike lights are seriously impressive bits of kit. Gone