Fiona N
Veteran
Slightly adrenalin-overloaded ride last night due to a 'mechanical'. I was at a training course in Penrith which finished a bit too late for the last train back to Kendal (half nine). I'd anticipated this and gone on the bike - also useful for getting to the venue in the first place which seemed to assume everyone would come by car, of course - with appropriate gear for the 45 km home.
The route was basically back along the A6 over Shap. It's a route I know well and was actually quite looking forwards to the ride 'in the middle of the night'. However, I made a slight error of judgement and although I had 4 various back lights with me and 2 industrial strength (from underground operations) reflectors on my bum-bag, not to mention wearing a Foska 'skeleton' jacket, I'd only got a single powerful front light. I'd just refurbished my original Lumicycle headlight and bought a new battery pack so I was a bit surprised (read cursing and swearing
) when the light suddenly switched off about 2 miles before the summit of Shap. The power lead seemed to be fully in place - occasionally this used to work out of the socket on rough roads due to the wire flicking about but I thought I'd sorted that - but as I hadn't taken another front light it wasn't possible to see what the problem was and I just assumed it was something wrong with the battery on it's first run (although I had fully charged it).
So very lucky that the moon was out and so bright, even though not full, that I rode the remaining 12 miles home without a front light. This doesn't sound too bad unles you know the road and the 10 mile unlit plunge from the Shap summit to Kendal, especially the steep top section where I've hit 70 mph in the past (yes miles per hour not kms - it was more that 110 kmph) although that was on a recumbent. Maximum speed last night was 'only' 78kmph but even so, it was a pretty adrenaline fuelled ride following the central white lines. The only really tricky bits were where the trees cut off the moon light and the white lines became ghostly and I was reliant on instinct more than vision. Only one truck went past and I suppose seeing the array of rear lights he probably didn't clock anything odd.
This morning I found that the connection in the on/off switch was loose - my fault entirely as I'd replaced the unit - and a good reminder that taking a back up torch of some sort is a mighty fine idea for night riding.
The route was basically back along the A6 over Shap. It's a route I know well and was actually quite looking forwards to the ride 'in the middle of the night'. However, I made a slight error of judgement and although I had 4 various back lights with me and 2 industrial strength (from underground operations) reflectors on my bum-bag, not to mention wearing a Foska 'skeleton' jacket, I'd only got a single powerful front light. I'd just refurbished my original Lumicycle headlight and bought a new battery pack so I was a bit surprised (read cursing and swearing
) when the light suddenly switched off about 2 miles before the summit of Shap. The power lead seemed to be fully in place - occasionally this used to work out of the socket on rough roads due to the wire flicking about but I thought I'd sorted that - but as I hadn't taken another front light it wasn't possible to see what the problem was and I just assumed it was something wrong with the battery on it's first run (although I had fully charged it).So very lucky that the moon was out and so bright, even though not full, that I rode the remaining 12 miles home without a front light. This doesn't sound too bad unles you know the road and the 10 mile unlit plunge from the Shap summit to Kendal, especially the steep top section where I've hit 70 mph in the past (yes miles per hour not kms - it was more that 110 kmph) although that was on a recumbent. Maximum speed last night was 'only' 78kmph but even so, it was a pretty adrenaline fuelled ride following the central white lines. The only really tricky bits were where the trees cut off the moon light and the white lines became ghostly and I was reliant on instinct more than vision. Only one truck went past and I suppose seeing the array of rear lights he probably didn't clock anything odd.
This morning I found that the connection in the on/off switch was loose - my fault entirely as I'd replaced the unit - and a good reminder that taking a back up torch of some sort is a mighty fine idea for night riding.
