Evening Riding

The days are getting warmer and everyone is staying out later.  Here are some tips for evening rides:

• Wear layers -- it gets cool very quickly, so leg warmers, arm warmers, and a vest or windbreaker come in handy.

• Wear bright colored clothes -- yellow, orange, and red are best. Anything reflective is also great. Stay away from black, dark blue, or dark green. It's a challenge for motorists to see us at dusk, so try to do anything you can to be visible.

• Put reflectors on your helmet, bike, clothes, shoes -- Most bike shops sell stick-on reflective tape for just this purpose. One package is all you'll need to help make you visible at dusk.

• Use lights on your bike -- We plan to finish before dark, but you never know what can happen on the road. If you get a flat or the ride is delayed for any reason, you could find yourself riding in the dark. Front lights (white) and rear lights (red) are highly recommended (and the law for riding after dusk in some states). You don't need to get expensive ones. Most bike shops can set you up with a basic set for about $15.

• Bring yellow or clear lenses for your glasses -- When we start out, the sun is shining, but when we finish, it's getting darker. Make sure you still have eye protection, but switch to yellow or clear lenses for better vision.

• Don't forget to drink & eat -- When it gets cooler, we don't feel the need to drink as much as we would during a hot afternoon ride, but you can just as easily get dehydrated. Keep drinking!

• Be particularly cautious at intersections along our country routes - the corn is high enough to block your view of cars (and car drivers' view of cyclists).