Here in the northern hemisphere, it is full on autumn: the leaves are falling, the days are getting colder and the nights are getting appreciably longer.
This is really my favourite season for riding, and it should be yours. I’ve written about this before but let me list the ways.
The colours are glorious
Yes, I know it’s obvious but it’s also true. I live in Belgium and right now in early November, we are being treated to a quite magnificent display: reds, oranges, yellows, greens. Nature is at its most colourful. Even overcast days are lit up but get a sunny day and you are in very heaven.
The light is wonderful
There is something absolutely wonderful about the autumn light: a fading gold that brings out the best of everything. And not just in the full of the day but dawns and especially dusks have a beauty to them. There is a wonder to leaving in the light and returning home in the dark, having watched the light subside, the sun sinking in a blaze of oranges and reds that match the trees.
You see everything in a new way: woods and forests come to life, their shapes revealed in a new way as different trees discolour and shed their leaves from week to week, constantly shifting and slowly thinning, the light coming more through the trees. Horse chestnuts, then oak, then beech…
But you also start to see urban landscapes in a new way, especially in the evening and night as lights appear in houses, small glimpses into lives.
The smells are amazing
I love the smell of autumn, especially in the forest after rain. In the decay, there is something very alive, nature renewing itself and laying the foundations for the spring growth. Everything is that bit more intense. And then there is the smell of wood fires as you pass houses: a sense of cosy interiors.
You can get in touch with your inner 8-year-old
Those leaves on the ground: they are there to be ridden through… The same with puddles…
There is something rather wonderful about allowing yourself to swish through woods, getting back to your childhood wonder. Not just the sense of the leaves as you ride through them, but the blissful sounds…
The air feels purer
There is a crispness to the air in autumn, a tart edge that makes the riding more intense. This is true on dry days: morning rides or evening rides when the cold is kicking in, but also on damp days that cleanse your soul.
You can slow down…
In the spring and summer, I often feel the need to ride a little harder to prepare my legs for a tour or to make the most. In the autumn and winter, the very act of being out there is its own success: you can slow down and let your body breathe a bit. Stop and admire nature…
Even the wet and grey days can be worth it
Autumn can make even the drabbest of days worth it: the contrast between grey skies and the vibrancy of the colours. Rain will bring out the smells of the leaves and make everything more intense. And even better, a foggy day, the forest becoming a place of mystery or light peeping across barren fields.
So what are you waiting for? Get out there!
Some practical tips
Autumn is about layering clothes. One minute, you can be out in the sun and heating up, the next resting in the coolness of the woods. For me, this is about bringing light layers that you can pack easily and put on or take off as the temperature changes. My base layer is a bike jersey with arm warmers above, lycra shorts under leggings and with thicker socks below. On top of this, in the early days of autumn, I wear a lightweight jacket, but also bring another small packable jacket that I can take with me in a bag or that will fold into the pocket of the main jacket. I pack a neck muff to keep out the cold, again removing it as I heat up.
As the season progresses and gets colder, I might put on some shoe covers and replace the lightweight outer jacket with a sturdier one, and as it gets even colder, the smaller jacket with a fleece. If it will rain and be cold, I will pack or wear some waterproof trousers, though if there will only be a light shower, my leggings are enough. Your legs work so hard that any moisture quickly dries off.
I start the season with relatively thin gloves and switch to thicker ones as temperatures get colder.
There is no science to this, and it is very much about how you feel but I have given my advice on what to wear here. My advice is better to be slightly overdressed than to be too cold.
To compensate for this, it is vital that you bring plenty of drink. At the start of the season, I take water, but as temperatures fall, I often switch to a thermos of tea or coffee. (Or you can use this as an excuse for a coffee and cake stop, very popular with British riders).
I usually pack some lights just in case it gets dark.
So what are you waiting for? Get out there….
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