Autumn is the best part of the year for a lot of riders. Colour in the woods, quiet roads, cool air. The days get shorter though, and faster than most of us expect. This piece answers one question: how do you plan a ride you finish in daylight?
When does the sun set?
| Date | Brussels | Amsterdam | Cologne |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 October | 19:22 | 19:19 | 19:12 |
| 15 October | 18:52 | 18:47 | 18:41 |
| 24 October | 18:33 | 18:28 | 18:23 |
| 25 October (clocks go back) | 17:32 | 17:26 | 17:21 |
| 1 November | 17:19 | 17:12 | 17:08 |
| 15 November | 16:57 | 16:49 | 16:46 |
| 30 November | 16:41 | 16:32 | 16:31 |
Local time, worked out for each city centre. In Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany the clocks go back one hour on Sunday 25 October. Between early October and late November, sunset moves more than two and a half hours earlier on the clock.
Count back from sunset
The simplest plan is a sum: ride time, plus stops, plus a margin. A loop of just under three hours, a 45 minute coffee stop and half an hour of slack comes to a little over four hours. In Brussels on 15 October that means leaving by about 14:40. After 25 October it is about 13:20.
Every route page on Motarva shows an estimated ride time. If you would rather draw your own, the route planner shows the distance and the expected ride time as you plan. Riding with others? Allow more: a group loses time at every stop. We wrote up some tips for group rides.
What changes on the road
Low sun. Low light blinds you, and the driver coming the other way. A clean visor helps, with something tinted for the afternoon and something clear for the ride home.
Leaves and mud. Wet leaves collect in corners, and at harvest time tractors carry mud onto farm roads. Take the first corner as if it were wet.
Cold tyres and damp. In the morning and in shaded woods the road stays damp for a long time. Cold tyres grip less, so give them the first few kilometres.
Being seen. Lights on, day and night. Something bright or reflective on your jacket or helmet shows up at dusk far better than all black.
Find a loop that fits
On Motarva routes you can filter by distance and curviness and pick a loop that fits your afternoon. Browsing is free and needs no account; downloading needs a free account.
Rather have it all on your phone? The Motarva app for iPhone is free to download from the App Store.
Photo: Mats Couwenberg / Pexels
