Written by Sarah Rogers
This past “Halloweekend,” River City Bicycles and the Northwest Trail Alliance hosted the last in their series of women-led mountain bike rides. An auspicious 13 riders braved the elements, which turned out to be rain-free and relatively warm. With rainbow lights and one bedazzled disco-ball helmet in tow, we climbed the road as dusk settled in. Among our numbers were a few folks who had never ridden Sandy before, and a few who were stoked to ride their first night ride. The lightest of drizzles visited us very briefly on the climb, but we found the trails to be almost perfect, with only a handful of puddles on lower Lower Hide and Seek. The blaze of lights descending Flow Motion and Lower Hide and Seek was a lovely sight to see, and accompanied by hoots and hollers. Everyone was super-supportive of each other, cheering when a new set of bike lights emerged from the shadows at our re-group spots. With Halloween candy and beverages in a bike-light lit parking lot after the ride, one rider proclaimed “It was good to do something actually scary on Halloween” in reference to having shred their first night ride.
Ride leaders are looking forward to hosting another ride series next year, so keep your eyes peeled for details come spring. Thanks to all who’ve ridden with River City Bicycles this year!
