[Closed] Do I need to man up? (solo night riding)

I have a seriously over active imagination and can scare myself silly on solo night rides. You're not alone, although I quite like the element of fear.

Part of the fun of it! All I do if I'm solo in areas without people is leave a trace on my phone so if I do bin it then someone can find me

Solo night-rides in thick fog are the best.
Lights do f*ck all, your senses are really heightened and you can't go fast because you can't see a damned thing..

I tell myself there isn't anything there that has any interest in hurting me. But you're somewhere exotic OP, aren't you? Is there anything that'll actually eat you? 😉

Just because you're paranoid, it doesn't mean that there isn't something out to get you.

Hope that helps 😉

Spun my bike around and rode home as quickly as I could!

When your helmet light passes a leaf which makes a shadow that rushes from the bushes towards you...

Wear headphone and listen to music. Job jobbed.

You could take your own axe and wave it around. Odds of there being two axe waving loonies on the same footpath must be lower right?

Do I need to man up?

you soon realise that you are the weirdo in the woods.

ashies sage advice

I use to ride at night, and it can be unnerving, especially once when I tumbled at speed...

Now I pretty much always ride with a buddy, but if I wasn't I'd just set my Strava so my OH can see where I am, constant feed option.

[s]Take a hatchet or machete with you. It's very unlikely that there will be more than one killer in the woods - make sure it's you, and you're safe.[/s]

Too slow.

You are the weirdo in the woods.. Revel in the knowledge that you will scare the utter crap out of anything that sees you. Except maybe badgers which will maybe just run alongside you.

Man up!

Unless you ride in densely used areas, the only weirdo in the woods is going to be you 🙂

(beaten to it ^, but worth remembering if you get the fear..)

Yes you do 🙂 but I would imagine it's quite normal. I once swore I saw a clown with a knife standing at the end of the fire road climb.

I think with solo night rides it is a good idea to tell someone where you are going to be/ride etc. If I can remember I send a quick msg home to say I've arrived/done.

the only weirdo in the woods is going to be you

I like solo night riding - it's complete escapism, but I'm used to walking/running at night on by own; There's more chance of seeing wildlife with the lack of chat. It turns an ordinary trip out into a big adventure, and I usually get home elated. Embrace the darkness!

But i'd [i]rather[/i] go with someone else though, its a question of taking the opportunity to get out when I can at the moment.

Remember your at more risk on your own if it all goes pete tong - the other night I bit off more than I could chew, went otb, landed on my head and broke a helmet light mount. I was very lucky, and I've restricted my route ambitions/speed considerably.

Just remember there's nothing in the woods at night that isn't there during the day.

Except now its awake and hungry

Happy Trails!

What tracker apps do people use?

You just need to watch out for doggers, some things can't be unseen 😥

some things can't be unseen

you get used to it. not that you get scared less but that being scared and the adreniline rush that comes with it is familiar.

Having said that i mostly ride at night with people - and i've got less used to being alone.

on my old regular loop, I'd set off the security light on a really creepy house (on it's own in the middle of the woods) when it was ~200 m behind. It wouldn't light me up - just change the angle of shadows a bit. suddenly I wouldn't be overheating and working hard - i'd be flying up the hill!!

Do I need to man up?

Yes. I used to get scared, but I got a grip 🙂 Until I startle a barn owl, which happens regularly. They are white, shine brightly in your lights and quite scary at first...

My favourite is being on the mountains night riding, rather than in the woods. Ace 🙂

I've not ridden alone at night for about 3 years now - apart from a very occasional hour and a half blast up and down a couple of local hills.

For me it is a safety thing - I had a fairly big off when I first got into night riding (and was only riding solo). I did a couple of ribs, but had to crawl home afterwards - 10pm on a Sunday night in early April, no phone reception - likelihood of anyone coming along until morning = slim.

Plus communal night riding has to end with a pint - it's the law.

When you are riding down a trail and a bastard big badger is startled, runs down the narrow-ish trail, but not as fast as you can ride.

You could overtake it (making progress?), but then if it's startled and possibly hungry, it's probably not a good idea.

My brother in Michigan rides on trails through the glacial drumlins, small lakes and birch forests around the area. He was out a couple of weeks ago alone in the dark when he heard a snort like a large animal then the thunder of hooves, right behind him. Says he didn't look back but was so frightened that he rode on like a demented nutter, not stopping until he reached his car. Fear gives you wings!

The woods are full of the same monsters that live there during the day... But now they are awake and hungry.

The problem with the countryside is that it just isn't a target rich environment. Hardly worth sharpening one's axe for. Plus have you seen how much the train fares are to get out there? 🙄

quite like night rides, and solo - don't have a problem with them (mostly). Particularly great are full moon night rides in the snow. Just lovely / magical.

I think in 12 years or so of solo night rides, these are my incidents:

3 or 4 dogging session interruptions. No bother.
1 loose guard-dog. Properly terrifying as my headlight had failed so I couldn't turn around to see how close it was.
1 odd bloke in a field. He looked startled. No idea what was going on.
Many bats in my face
1 big crash, but could ride home

But lots of lovely empty trails. Many owls and other wildlife spotted. Lots of long rides where there is no deadline for the finish.

It's well worth the effort.

What tracker apps do people use?

Road ID on an Android phone. Works ok for nothing. Little flakey if you ask it to do something like send out the start message at the same time as you're starting another app like Strava but otherwise ok.

As others have said, you've just got to get used to riding in the dark. I remember being nervous when I went out on my own for the first time as a young twenty something but I'm doing 2 or 3 rides a week through the woods and trails on my own in the dark these days and don't give it a second thought.

i ride alone at night sometimes around MOD forests in Surrey/Hampshire. tbh you always see loads of other riders about so not too bad, but when youre plodding along, you glance to one side and your light pics up a bunch of ghillied up soldiers with gas masks, night vision lenses and machine guns crouching in the trees you tend to shit it a bit!!!

I find the trick us to stop.

A couple of minutes with the lights off and its fine.

Its the half heard noises over your own arse breathing that are unnerving i find.

Try night-time scuba-diving instead... and learn how difficult it can be to convince yourself there isn't a shark behind you. And then have your mask fog up... after that night riding is a breeze!

I love night riding, which is fortunate as that's the majority of my riding

Don't mind going out on my own, don't mind the solitude, quite like it to be honest

But I'm rarely in the middle of nowhere, or up in the mountains, so it's relatively safe if something goes wrong

It was heaving down last night, night riding was quite wet and I would have bottled it if it wasn't for the fact that 3 of us had agreed to meet up

We have wild boar in the forest, and elk, and (thousands) of deer.

And wolves apparently.

Hours of fun.

And wolves apparently.

Where are you?

We have porcupines. I believe they're the apex predator here in Hong Kong 🙂

We have porcupines

aka Big **** Off Puncture Fairies

Paint this on your helmet and dig the whole 'nam thing

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for I am the baddest mountainbiker in the goddamn valley.

[quote="BigDummy"]Where are you?Sweden. We get semi regular sightings all over this bit of the country. I've seen one in 15 years.

The elk worry me more. I see them fairly regularly out walking.

Pah - I saw a MOUSE run across the trail in the rain yesterday

Yes, a MOUSE

I'm in Thailand. I've bunny hopped a cobra before. Really though, the wildlife isn't of the man-hunting sort. It'll get out of your way and if you ride over at speed it is unlikely to bite or sting you. If you're going slowly you can avoid it.

My wife knows my regular loop and the fact it's only 90 mins means if I'm more than a couple of hours she'll or I'll call.

I find the trick us to stop.

Easy to say when you aren't being hunted by whatever the hell is in the bushes!

you actually rode home! how old are you?

32 and not embarrassed to admit it. In vague defence of my masculinity, straight up and back down is a great route and one I sometimes detour to on the way home from work.

Sounds like I should give it another go. I do enjoy moonlit solitude.

I'm in Thailand.

Shame, you will never experience the joy of wearing a helmet light in a night time snowstorm and pretending you are the millennium falcon.

Stick to the roads, stay off the moors.

I don't often use the phrase man-up, but in this case I think it's justified.

I did a couple of ribs, but had to crawl home afterwards - 10pm on a Sunday night in early April, no phone reception - likelihood of anyone coming along until morning = slim.

That's what spot trackers are for.

Usually do it with a group but sometimes not. Stopped at an old quarry on the moor once (there are a few, this was one that's some distance from roads), shone my light into it for some reason. Picked out three large figures standing in the complete dark. They turned towards me. At this point I decided to resume my ride.

You will get used to it. Sometimes I feel like this but head down and focus on your riding and it'll go.
Seen some awesome nature scenes at dusk/night, half a dozen deer drinking from streams, owls catching things etc

MSP - I've had that riding on Dartmoor.

I grew up riding around Exeter and often surprised groups of Marines on night patrol / exercises.

I'm off out tomorrow again. Hopefully I get around and realise it's worth it.

Think Salem's Lot for that extra KOM.

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I remember riding behind my mate shortly after dusk one eve before lights got really good. I could just make out quite a few bats flying within a few inches of his head. Slightly unnerving to think they were probably around me too.

Night riding is great though. Nearly always spot badgers on one of my local trails - you just wouldn't get that in the day.

Glad it's not just me then! I had that on a local cycle path (old train line, through a tightly wooded path) at night but even just one other person is enough to take the edge off. Just find a riding buddy.

I really enjoy solo night riding,it's a good buzz.The eyes watching me illuminated by my lights deep in the darkness of the woods still get me though 😯

I've bunny hopped a cobra before

Bejesus!

Came very close to running over a snake in central Cardiff.

I to am a bit wary of night riding on my own. I always pack some emergency lube so, if worse comes to worse, i'll still be able to ride home...

What about bivvying in the woods by yourself? Sleep with one eye open?

here's a good tip if it's possible. Start off late afternoon just before sunset when there's still a bit of light. As it gradually gets dark flick the lights on and get used to it as you go along. Before you know it you're riding in the dark light ablaze without a care.

+1 Badgers

They seem to leave it until the last second before they bolt in front of you.

Nearly jump out of my skin everytime

I nearly shat myself when a pheasant flew out of the undergrowth right by me, and that was in broad daylight! Maybe I shouldn't venture out at night 😯

I've been wild camping since I was knee high to a grasshopper so being outside in the dark just isn't an issue. In fact, I'd say that some of my most enjoyable rides have been at, or through the, night.

Try running in the dark instead. Then you know you'll never get away from "them".

I've bunny hopped a cobra before.

The most gnarly thing Ive ever heard. I have a patch of wood that has zombies in it, there is also a crocodile that turns into a fallen log when you ride past it.

I once got a long bendy twig thing caught in my rear mech which sounded like something running along beside me, when I tried to out sprint it before it hacked me to death it just kept up, hellish scarey

Try night-time scuba-diving instead... and learn how difficult it can be to convince yourself there isn't a shark behind you.

I'm reminded of the Billy Connolly routine where he went snorkling and spotted a shark fin behind him. Set the water speed record desperately trying to out-swim his own flipper.

Try night-time scuba-diving instead... and learn how difficult it can be to convince yourself there isn't a shark behind you.

Not a chance. First open water triathlon last year in a lake. All I could picture was dead bodies floating up towards me from the murky depths. Nearly had a panic attack until I'd calmed my imagination down. If that was night time I would definitely be soiling my wetsuit.

TBH I don't blame you for turning tail

Had a couple of rides up into Surrey Hills after dark, and generally spooked myself with imagination - the only reason I haven't done that myself is because of the p1$$ taking that I'd get if someone saw it on my strava.

As for diving in the dark - not a chance... I spook myself in broad daylight swimming 100m from the beach in the med.

I to am a bit wary of night riding on my own. I always pack some emergency lube so, if worse comes to worse, i'll still be able to ride home...

It depends where you are

Sheffield seemed to be full of semi rural carparks full of oddballs, loving couples and weed smoking chavs.

Around Stirling you seem more likely to run into a queue of bike riding pals...

The vampires are probably more frightened of you than you are of them, probably.

have the forum rules changed ? used to be that the first and only reply was

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As I tell my Beaver Scouts when we are on night manoeuvres, (5:15pm, usually the woods outside Scout Hut), the most dangerous thing out here.......is you.

[quote=CountZero ]

I to am a bit wary of night riding on my own. I always pack some emergency lube so, if worse comes to worse, i'll still be able to ride home...

Is that so you can sit down and peddle... Peddle his arse, or [b]pedal[/b] the bike?

Anyway, isn't compulsory to watch Dog Soldiers before your first wild camp/bivvy?

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There is a bit on a night ride myself and my mate do where we switch off our lights and admire the darkness. I then stupidly said, "what would you do if we turned the lights on and there was a child standing in front of us". I wish I hadn't said it.

The worst is a solo ride where you can hear foxes screeching, that makes you pedal faster.

Gary-C Thats fantastic but that gives me flashbacks,because they are out there..... 😯

You should try riding a motorbike at night when you're convinced there's someone on the back seat all the time.....

Another vote here for riding into the failing light. It lets your eyes, brain and bravery calibrate more gently.

I'd stay off the more adventurous stuff at night on my own and make sure I knew where the heck I was going.

I've only done a couple of solo nights so far but I can clearly pedal faster than the Zombie hordes (as nothings eaten my brains yet) and am therefore able to start enjoying them.

Really want to try bike packing this year but not really sure where to start. I have this fanciful idea about riding out into the hills mid week. Sleeping under the stars then cycling into work in the morning.

Ive always wanted to put on a skull mask half way around our night loop at the pentlands, then pedal past my mate ..

think it would be a laugh...

I lived in the US for a couple of years 1997-99, and used to solo night ride in the Appalachian woods all the time.

So Blair Witch Project properly freaked me out!

@garage-dweller - sounds like a breakfast bivvi plan 🙂

Have managed a handful of those back when I had a commute!