Night Ride

I just got back from my mountain bike ride.

Throwback to summer, when the days were long, the trails dusty, and our spirits as high as the endless Connecticut rocks. Those were the times when every ride was an invitation to adventure, and the photo with that classic Volkswagen New Beetle, bikes at the ready, captured the essence of anticipation.

As the summer waned and we transitioned into the cooler evenings of October, the rides took on a new character. From the crisp air of dusk to the utter silence of night, we were not just chasing the trails but also racing the sunset, squeezing every last drop of daylight out of the sky before succumbing to the cloak of darkness.

The darkness of those October nights was a stark contrast to the bright, lively rides of summer. Yet, it was in these contrasting experiences that the true essence of mountain biking revealed itself — not just in the visible joy of a sunny day’s ride but also in the exhilarating uncertainty of a nocturnal journey.

The summer may have given us the perfect backdrop for those initial rides, but October brought with it a different kind of beauty, one that was felt with every pedal stroke into the unknown. It’s in these moments of reflection that we realize how the rides of summer set the stage for the adventures that only autumn’s darkness could provide.

Keep chasing the horizon, day or night,