PHP a la nuit

 

Yesterday, a mountain bike ride hosted by Rutland City Bikes popped up in my Strava feed for 5:30 PM at Pine Hill Park. I RSVP'd, but what I found funny was that when I swung by the shop earlier in the day to pick up my back wheel for the CAADx, I asked JT about the ride and he was completely clueless. His exact words were, "I don't social media anymore."

In the end, I missed the group ride by about 15 minutes. I wanted to get some boards cut for a basement project I planned to tackle on Friday which delayed me somewhat, since the forecast called for rain all day. When I finally arrived, there were plenty of cars in the lot with bike racks and tailgate pads, but it was anyone's guess whether they were there for the Rutland City Bikes ride, the Down Valley ride, or just out on their own.

I am never quite sure how to dress for a autumn mountain bike ride, especially here in Rutland. Because I usually just ride straight from my house to the park, I know I'll be freezing on the pavement ride over. Granted, once I start climbing the trails, things quickly heat up. The trick is figuring out a combination that gets me comfortably to the park and back home again. Yesterday's kit was absolutely spot on: a short-sleeved base layer paired with a long-sleeved cotton t-shirt.

By 5:45 PM, it was starting to get dark, though not quite enough to need lights yet. I did fine for about half an hour, but eventually stopped at the intersection of Stegosaurus and Strong Angel to attach my 1000-lumen light to my helmet. The more I rode, the darker it got, and I figured it was soon time to head home.

I always try not to overlap any trails when I ride at PHP, and I think I did pretty well this time around. However, once total darkness set in, things got a little confusing. I ended up taking a wrong turn—not "wrong" in the sense that I was actually lost, but more like I was accidentally tacking on extra miles.

I hit Rosie's Rollover by mistake, a trail I had never ridden before. It was chock-full of features that were tough to anticipate in the dark, and the trail itself was hard to follow. Even when I got onto a trail I thought I knew like Rembrandt's Brush, the darkness turned it into a whole new experience.

Ultimately, I made my way out and had a great ride. By the time I rolled back into the parking lot, the last few cars were already pulling away.