Not nearly as scary, but creepy still. To the dismay of my non-biking friends I often ride alone at night. It is one of my favorite things to do, not sure why maybe it's that instant adreneline feeling or the fact that when you finish you survived another night without anything 'getting' you. Even though I say I'm not afraid it seems that instantly when it gets dark everything is heightened and you start hearing and seeing things. This one solo night ride a few years back, as usual my friends begged me not to go. I started out fine, came across a couple of teenagers, no fear just blinded them and kept on going. Then that weird anxiousness accelrated until I was comforted by a couple of fellow riders headed the opposite direction, I relaxed for a bit knowing there were others out there like me. Slowly that anxious feeling creeped back, alone in the middle of the woods, where my friends told me not to go. I started as in every solo ride to see and hear things, increased my speed, my fun and my heart rate. I was flying. I came around this corner on a fire road, furthest point from my car and safety (that's always when the scarey thoughts creep into my head) when I saw or imagined I saw a NAKED runner. As he passed I quickly turned my headlamp to assure that I really did see a NAKED man but there was nothing. I spent the remainder of the ride questioning if I really saw him or imagined him. I certainly wasn't going to tell any of my friends as they would say I told you not to go out there alone and actually I really was questioning my mind playing tricks. I convinced myself that I didn't see anything.(certainly no clothes) I didn't say a word to anyone about my sighting until about a year later I was talking to a fellow MtBiker and he says: "Hey have you ever seen the NAKED runner?". Mystery solved. That angst that I get riding alone at night is almost always there and in some sick way I like it.
Happy scarey fun night riding
Chops
