Once again, we've partnered up with with Ashland DEVO, one of our sponsees located in Southern Oregon, for a night on the trails. Ashland DEVO exists to support youth mountain bike riding in the region. For this ride, we were joined by a handful of coaches and several of the youth riders. Initially, the trepidation of a night ride was palpable; while a few of them had ridden on the road with less than ideal lights, none had ever been on the trails after dark. Magicshine hoped to change that and support Ashland DEVO's mission.
After departing our starting point in town and beginning the long, slow climb up forest roads, the sun began to set and one by one the Magicshine lights were clicked on. Immediately, the concerns of riding blindly through tight singletrack were replaced with a sense of eagerness to reach the point where we could begin the steep descent back to town.
Riding at night is a new experience, even when riding the same local trails you usually hit up at lunch. On the first descent, these young riders took things a bit slower, but soon realized they could still see down the trail and around turns with the Monteer 6500s on their handlebars and the Ray 2600 mounted on their helmets. Commenting on the experience, executive director Casey Botts noted, "With the proper equipment, we're able to completely change the feeling of what it is to mountain bike, and we're thankful that Magicshine provided us the tools to do just that."
When we arrived at the bottom, first bumps and claps on the back were going around. They clearly experienced firsthand that night doesn't have to end their time on the mountain. We're proud to sponsor Ashland DEVO and to continue supporting riders' efforts to get outside and use their trails. Don't let the dark be your excuse not to ride.
0 comments