Evening Mountain Bike Rides

What was initially a couple of us meeting up for some evening fresh air and fun in the mud on the bridleways around Mellor and Rowarth, has now grown into what seems to have become a Duks mountain bike section!

We meet up for rides at 8:00pm on a Wednesday night. It’s a bit on the late side, but allows us to get the kids to bed before sloping off into the night. Yes, that’s right, mountain biking at night! LED Lighting and battery technology has now moved on to a point where lights are so powerful and the run times are so long that a 3 hour off road ride is perfectly feasible. (Oh, and at £27 the lights are not expensive.)

If you’d like to give our night time mountain bike ride a try before you splash out on new lights, we have a light which you can borrow, just get in touch with me to let me know if you’d like to give it a go. (Email address below).  Once you are hooked and wish to get your own then there are various options available.

Over the months we’ve had just about every type of conditions imaginable. Some of the more memorable nights have been lovely warm summers evenings, starry evenings with stops for lying on the grass star gazing discussing the constellations and of course Prof Brian Cox’s programs and the millions and billions of stars!

There was an evening when the temperature went down to –14 degrees at Strines Station and gears, headsets and  bottles froze up. A night when we had to carry the bikes over five feet deep snow drifts. Nights when we had to stop riding because we were laughing so much, and of course the nights when we said “stuff it!” cut the ride short, and went to the pub!

The rides meet in various places which are dependent on weather etc. Meeting places are Hayfield, Disley, Taxal, Macclesfield Forrest, Goyt Valley, Wildboar Clough. So as you can see we try to vary things!

If you fancy joining us one evening, drop me a line to mountainbiking@dukinfieldcc.org and I can include you on the weekly email list which says where we’ll be meeting etc. Of course, all abilities are welcome and as ever with the Duks, don’t forget your sense of humour!