Going night riding for the first time is a bizarre, exhilarating, and enlightening experience. The feeling of mountain biking as you’ve come to know, is superseded with an all-new sense of a wild adventure. This is where the familiar turns unfamiliar – and that’s what makes mountain biking so darn exciting all over again.
When we received a call from Anthony from Canadian MTB to go for an exploratory night ride, we jumped at the opportunity. With an awesome night crew of Anthony, local gunner Justin, and world-class photographer Jarrett Lindal, we set out for the Hartland Bike Park… at dusk.
Hartland Mountain Bike Park is the local favourite trail network in close proximity to Victoria, BC – just 15km from the downtown core. The crew had ridden Hartland countless times, yet this was one of their first night rides.
Arriving at the parking lot and getting the gear ready with the light fading is a bit of a bizarre experience. Even more so when entering the park and seeing a line of riders exiting the park, as if to tell you you’re going the wrong way. To tackle the dark, we each had a Titan 4000 Lumens on the handlebars and a Duo 1500 Lumens on the helmet.
Take a look at Canadian MTB’s perspective on what we got up to.
Our best tip for night riding newbies? Don’t go alone. Night riding with a crew builds camaraderie, is far more enjoyable, and safer for everyone. Having more lumens on your bike is great, but having more bikes is better!
