Funny thing happened a while ago. I was cycling along the Busway and I encountered another cyclist coming towards me. Nothing unusual with this, except it was after sunset and he was wearing sunglasses at night! Yes, sunglasses. Seems a bit weird?
Hard to know quite what to read into this, other than my immediate thoughts were about whether he could see where he was going and whether he was safe. I should say he did have lights on – but only just. The front light was flashing and was one of those with a diffused lens to spread the dim light so it would be seen from a wider angle. His bike was a BSO and was squeaking along quite slowly.
I said “hello!” or something like that but there was no response. I think he was listening to music with earphones in. Or perhaps too super cool to react? Yep they were definitely sunglasses, the kind you’s buy in a 99p Store. It was actually quite a comical sight or plain daft, whichever you want.
I hear you cry out “But cyclists do wear eye shades at night!”!
In fact I think I even spotted my friend Barry wearing some eye shades as he was speeding his way home the other night (I was in my car!). Mind you, with his stunning bright Exposure Strada I’m thinking anyone near him would need sunglasses. I digress. So some cyclists wear some shades even at night but why?
It seems even at night and in the winter there are flying critters around, even in December if the weather is mld enough. In the country lanes here in Bedfordshire / Hertfordshire they tend to hang around in gangs as if they’re looking for a Dispersal Order or something. Just waiting, hanging around mid air and in line with the faces of cyclists and car windscreens alike. Getting an insect in your eye is horrible and at night in the winter is most unexpected and disconcerting.
And then there is all the mud, grit and general muck around that gets flicked up by passing motorists. Possibly even self inflicted for cyclists without a front mudguard – the minimalists, the time trial cyclists, the can’t-figure-out-how-to-fit-mudguards group and so on.
Also it has to be said some cyclists, myself included, are prone to crying their eyes out while cycling. No, not through being upset or overly emotional, instead through the cold freezing air making your eyes stream. This sometimes happens to me while I’m bombing down a hill, 30mph and over, and I can’t stop it. It’s quite funny turning up somewhere looking as if I have been crying my eyes out.
And me?
You know I hate wearing glasses for reading and also sunglasses for bright days. I just do, I really don’t like it. Besides, glasses of any kind seem to have a very limited lifespan owing to me keeping them in my pockets with keys, coins etc. But sunglasses, in the dark…..?
Please tell me if I’m missing something here.
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I have no answers for you Doug but now I will now have this earworm today:
Doug
Yes I was wearing glasses, with clear lenses to keep crud out of my eyes.
Barry
Sunglasses at night. Could be several reasons. One sure way to know you have them and not left them behind is wear them. And I sometimes say you can’t fix stupid. But you make a good point to keep stuff from going strait in your eyes. All discises involve sunglasses. To cool to not have them on. You’re not missing any thing really. You would just have to stop and ask to get their reason for sunglasses at night.