Summer Evening Rides

Lonnie Wormley at the Albany Museum of Art

Evening rides

During the month of July I have been riding my bike on Saturday and Sunday evenings. After a day of working on my house and performing various yard and renovation projects I take time to ride my Trek Pure through the neighborhood streets of the city that I love.  Riding my bike is always a transcendental experience for me and I enjoy the peace of mind that comes from rhythmically moving my body on a bike through quite neighborhood streets.

This past weekend the weather made for some cooler rides than earlier in the month.  Rain showers were a pleasant treat on Saturday's ride.  Riding in the summer rain is one of the simple pleasures that I enjoy this time of year.  Not many cyclist that I know in Albany look forward to getting wet on their bikes.  When was the last time you intentionally rode a bike through a deep puddle of water on purpose?

Go with the flow, it's just a game

Planning my route in advance never occurs to me when I get on my bike on these weekend rides.  The only thing that I like to do on my routes is that I want to start and stop my ride by making a loop.  When I leave my home and turn east then I want to return to my home from the west and thus make a complete loop.  It is games like this that add an extra treat to my cycling adventures in the evening.


Night time cycling safety

My bike is equipped with two bright read flashers.  I also have a flasher mounted on the rear of my helmet.  All three of these flashers are rated for use at night and in the daytime.    All three flashers can be charged via USB cables and I always make sure that they are all charged up and ready to go before I ride.  I also have a Nite Rider Pro 1800 Race mounted on the front of my bike.  I use to have this light on my road bike when I first started bike commuting in the dark.  Now this light has a second life on my slow roll bike and I love it.
My custom PVC tail light mount

Cycling Zen

Riding on warm summer weekend nights gives closure to the work week and prepares me for the next round.  The meandering routes that I take have allowed me to learn a lot about Albany.  The view that I have of Albany is a lot different when I am on my bike than when I am inside of my truck.  When I am driving my truck I take routes on busy streets.  When I am on my Trek Pure I am taking streets that I almost never venture on in my truck.  Learning my way around Albany and avoiding busy streets is another game that I play on my bike.

When I am riding a bike most of the time I do not care when I arrive at my destination.  The joy of riding a bike is that getting there is part of the fun.  Cycling through residential and commercial neighborhoods on a bike allow me to see and experience the environment slower and up close.  I can see buildings that have been around for a long time and notice how they were repaired and remodeled over time.  Greeting residents, and pedestrians by waving or saying hello as I pass on a bicycle is something that I cannot do from a motor vehicle.

I end the week with a wonderful experience on my bike that gives me energy for the week ahead.  The fun does not stop there as I am about to get on my bike to commute to work.

Summer evening ride routes

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