Winter can be a real drag, and what better way is there to offload seasonal blues than by getting out on your bike?
For most of us, nighttime is the only option for weekday riding in the winter months, with high-powered mountain bike lights keeping the trails open well after the sun has gone down.
There are so many benefits of night riding, so here are 5 reasons you need to try riding at night this winter.
1. Familiar trails become new
It’s not unfaithful to say that our local trails become less exciting after years of riding them, that’s just a fact, but night riding offers a wonderful solution to spice things up again.
Thanks to the unique perspective given by bike lights, the trail takes on a whole new dimension, with small rollers seemingly transformed into cavernous gaps and once-trusted rock rolls becoming huge drops.
Local trail centres are great places to ease yourself into night riding and should keep you from getting lost or misjudging any technical features.
Less technical trails also become more interesting, with blues and even some greens getting transformed when lit from your handlebar.
2. It sharpens your skills
As the adage goes, winter miles make summer smiles, and while we don’t believe this to be completely true there’s some merit to the idea.
Spending more time on your bike sharpens your skillset, with each ride helping you refine your balance, coordination and physique.
Unfortunately, the constraints of shorter days can limit your riding to your days off work.
Night riding enables you to enjoy the same time luxury as the summer, so you can get out for some after-work laps or even tackle artificially lit epics.
Riding with the best mountain bike lights also reduces your peripheral vision, enabling you to focus more on the trail in front of you and helping with line choice.
Riding at night should also help sharpen your reaction times and ability to correct bad line choices down the trail.
3. It beats being inside
While some like to take their training indoors over winter, for many sitting on a turbo trainer and playing Zwift doesn’t quite cut the mustard.
Being outside and exposed to the elements adds to your general well-being in the winter months, and doing so after spending long hours in an artificially lit office block will make you feel as though you’ve stolen hours back from your day.
Where you’d once be lazing on the couch, watching your favourite series for the umpteenth time, now you’re free to ride your bike in the woods as if the sun was shining.
4. Have fun with friends
Heading out with your friends for a night ride usually results in hysterics, whether that’s from a hidden bomb hole catching somebody out or just giggle-inducing runs where no one knows where they’re going.
Many trail centres, such as OnePlanet Adventure in Llandegla, have specific days of the week when they cater to night riders with food and entertainment – with some even offering night enduro racing.
There’s also the lure of the pub after any night ride, which often makes for the perfect end to a work day.
5. It feels like meditation
Going out for a night ride is meditative, with the quiet forest or hillside offering a feeling of grounding and isolation.
The narrow beam of your front light makes it easy to fall into a reflective state when pedalling up fire-road climbs – more so than in the daytime.
This becomes especially apparent when you reach the top of the climb and it feels as if it’s taken less time than usual due to the immersive experience.
As with any time you ride your bike, the dopamine released can also help calm any stresses from the day and act as a good reset.
If heading out after dark is appealing to you, check out our 10 tips for mountain biking at night.
