Here's an old one, from almost 4 years ago. It was 2016, the fourth of September. Marcus and I loaded up the Honda Fit that afternoon and rolled out to DeKalb for what felt like an annual homecoming. Little did we know, this was the last time we'd be doing this. Wait - is that actually true? Was 2016 the last year of The Night Bison? I think it was... but correct me if I'm wrong. Either way, it was the last time that we rode in the event. Damn. Realizing this again brings me a bit of sadness, because this was always such a fun ride.
The concept of the event was to create an abbreviated (and nocturnal) version of The Gravel Metric that marked the conclusion of the summer season, and it quickly became my favorite evening of the year. The Bison was conceived in the bike shop that I worked for at the time, and I remember the skepticism we had when initially planning the event - would people actually come out to our small rural town in Illinois and ride 50-something miles of gravel roads through the night with no support? The answer was "hell yes". We had an exciting turnout each year, and the popularity of the event always surpassed my expectations. Eventually, I left my job at the bike shop and moved out of DeKalb, but the Night Bison was always reason enough to return. The ride had traditionally begun at the shop, but in 2016 the ride began in a location that felt like the middle of nowhere - and it was better that way. We were able to hit those gravel roads we longed for almost immediately.
Anyways... Chronically running behind schedule, Marcus and I rolled up in the car just as the ride was departing. Fortunately, I arrived dressed with my bib shorts on under my regular shorts, and in order to save time I quickly grabbed my bike from the trunk, hopped on, and joined the group - riding into the sunset with cut-off denim shorts and a T-shirt. Despite the late start, we finished earlier than ever, giving us plenty of time to enjoy the after-party. We sipped a few brews, saw a sasquatch, and drove back to Chicago around 11pm with heavy eyelids. I don't recall much about the actual ride, other than we had a blast and it went as well as it could have.
Although we may never ride The Night Bison again, we can at least relive it through the photos taken. Below are the photos I took 4 summers ago, but never posted:
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