A Night Ride!

Mice Starry Log 110. 72 miles. York to Hull at Midnight.

It is quite tricky to explain the magic of night time riding with friends. It's not just the route which has been hand picked for its reduced traffic, or its sweeping shape or its stillness. It's not just the midway stop where cafe owners have stayed awake until 4am to serve sandwiches and smiles as we bundle into their space. It's not just the ever changing sky that displays its magnificent light - the moon, the stars and the waking of the sun interspersed with total darkness. Or the fog, the cold and the rain that pushes us to our limits - so we  can berate or celebrate our wardrobe choices.  And it's not just the tremendous achievement of reaching the destination through pedalling all night, cycling distances never thought possible.  

It's the camaraderie generated by being amongst a truly great bunch of people. People who don't judge you by your bike but who spur you on when you are flagging. People who care about how your bike is doing and who will do all they can to fix a mechanical problem you may find in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night. People who make you laugh out loud so loudly you nearly wake up the cattle in the nearby field. People who can keep you company, chatting and cycling so that you forget you are a bit tired or a bit hungry and before you know it you are grinning from ear to ear as you realise how much fun it is to be on a bike.

When I started cycling I never imagined I'd be able to do this kind of ride.  I'd have balked at cycling faster than 15 miles an hour even down a hill.  But thanks to friends and weekends we'd go out for rides and before I knew where I was I was cycling 30 miles around London on a Sunday! 30 miles?!! And that was laughing all the way without noticing anything other than how much fun I was having.  30 miles became 50 miles with some hills thrown in, each time increasing in gradient. And my top speed down a hill increased to 30mph!! Wow! 

Building up my fitness and endurance increased my speed over long distances which on a group ride means the overall speed is manageable without being exhausting and more importantly without holding up the others.  This cycling introduction was accompanied by carrying out basic bike maintenance - lights, tyres, chain - whilst keeping luggage to a minimum.  This last item has been a real struggle! but it's a whole lot less than it used to be...!!  And I no longer keep luggage on me - it's a small or medium (depending on the weather forecast) Carradice saddle bag. 

 

The excitement as we meet up at midnight,  the anticipation of the next eight hours ahead, the weather - are we wearing enough layers, do we need waterproofs, where is The Claud, should we have brought spare socks, why isn't The Claud here and Adrian and GregCollins and George and Sahar, is it really Midnight,  have I met you before kind of thing. The one question I never ask myself is What am I doing here? Because the answer to that is always "about to start the most fun time I'll ever have on a bicycle". And tonight was no exception.

 

As our numbers increased under the shadow of York Minster, we were chatting and generally catching up with each other.  I didn't count how many of us we were but I think about 50.  The cold air had made most of us put on practically all our reserve clothing - I found myself asking someone I have never met before "do you think I am wearing enough clothes?" which of course is a ridiculous question.  In true night ride spirit the reply was helpful and kind "it is probably colder than you think it is" at which point I threw on my over trousers which as it turned out was the best thing I could have done to keep me warm.

The trick of what to wear on a ride is a combination of a bit of luck, temperature (ie weather forecasts), your own body thermostat and what kind of ride it is.  If it is flat there is not much opportunity to build up body heat- which is a whole different ball game when cycling up and down very big hills as you overheat climbing summit after summit. The element of luck is nearly entirely down to the accuracy of the weather forecasts. 

Some of the locals didn't really understand what was happening although based on their alcohol content I'm not sure that they would have understood the concept of walking in a straight line never mind cycling in one! The shrieks and laughter from the local night life as they spilled out of nightclubs doing double takes in disbelief never ceases to make me laugh!

On the stroke of Midnight, we headed into the night, down through narrow streets, out towards the city boundary. As we weaved our way out of the city, the street lighting reduced and we were in the countryside with the traffic diminishing to practically nothing. The sky was crystal clear and the moon shone down on all of us. 

We headed south east towards Goole. Over a Pegasus Bridge type constructions running over the Trent and we cycled along side the river.  This is just a magical ride for me. To be lower than sea level, cycling alongside an embankment looking up at the red and green marker buoys of the channel above is just breathtaking.  

As we stopped at Goole, there was an option to split into two groups - team fast and team not so fast.  "Oh what the heck?" I thought to myself - "go give yourself a bit of a push."  Despite the warning from The Man in Charge "it will be speedy" I was game.  I did manage to ask what sort of speed it would be - 18mph and of course I then forgot to ask two crucial questions. "Is that the rolling average"? and "how many miles till the break". Too late - we were off. 

Good Grief!  They shot off like rockets and I pushed pushed pushed up my pace.  On we went, faster and faster.  They made it look so effortless!  The marker buoys in the channel merged into a blur and after about 10 minutes I was seeing stars but ones in my head not the ones in the sky. I just kept pushing - my heart rate blasting through my body. 

On we went.  I have no idea how but I managed to hang on in there. Just.  Thank goodness for a T-junction! They had to slow down! And then off.  Every village sign I saw was never the one I wanted it to be! I didnt have a clue where I was but I knew that if I was left behind I would be stranded - which would be a big problem - on the basis that I didn't actually know which county I was in! 

In the blur of it all, I did think it was a beautiful piece of road, curving round almost in figures of eight, little red lights from the riders at the front practically doubling back towards me.  Eventually we regrouped again and I had the opportunity to ask how much further it was.  Three kilometres was my absolute limit - I wasnt sure I could do another five.  Huzzahh it was about 3.5!  Made it!  What a work out.  

Into a fabulously feast-full Village Hall where marvellous peeps were greeting us with tea and home made sandwiches and cakes.  I sat down and stuffed my face!  15 minutes later I was beginning to feel human again!  Note to self - must go faster on my daily pootles!  Within no time at all everyone was in the hall, laughter flying across as chatting levels rose and rose.  As is our way we ate the place out of house and home and headed out into the night.  With big thanks to those lovely peeps for making it such a great stop.  And I hope we have encouraged a cycle trip around Holland...!

  

 Although this ride is flat there are three hills.  The first one is a bit of a long drag up, so I changed into my lowest gears and just spun my way to the top. Job Done. This worked for all three of them and before I new where I was the magnificent Humber Bridge was in sight.  Spectacular.  The sunrise was absolutely breathtaking.  The mist over the Humber river, the huge orange ball of a sun and the clear sky had to be seen to be believed. 

Just before the bridge, the Brompton TEC Team asked me to take their photograph.  This is I did.  Then they rode past me!  I was horrified!!  As they went round a corner a bit further on I did see one of them (fabulously called Charlie) turn his head to check I was still in the vicinity!

 

  

Cycling over The Humber Bridge is one of my cycling worlds special moments. What a thing to do. We rode into Hull city centre, past the KC Stadium. I did a bit of waymarking and soon Stuaff and I were rolling our way into Cafe Pizaaz.  Delicious breakfast followed by a ride on ..... Whoop Whoop - The Woodrup!!  Thank you Vernon. What a treat!!  CharlieB had a go and we both agreed it is a mighty fine set of wheels!  Into Weatherspoons for beersies and banter. 

 The train journey home was an unexpected treat. The railway took us back along the very route we had cycled at sunrise. The Humber was blue and beckoning, the bridge was majestic. We could see the hills we had climbed - somehow looking even steeper than from the saddle.

We dropped through the Counties, rolling hills with farmyards and grazing animals. Church spires surrounded by hamlets and full of lovely lanes that would be perfect for cycling along. Next time perhaps.

Thank you DZ and Agent Hilda.  You have created night rides that put a grin on my face just thinking about them.