night ride

Riding through the tunnel of light
thrown by my headlamp
I follow a ribbon of hard-packed snow.

I weave between trees
over hills and into dips,
over unseen bridges
and frozen creeks.

Sparkles of January snow
drift from the evening sky
landing in grooves
carved by tires and skis
traveling this route before me.

My legs power me uphill,
hold level as I coast down,
duck under a frost-laden,
low-hanging branch.

Ahead of me, I see the two other riders
their lights pointing the way
reflecting off the white snow.
I know this trail

Remember its twists,
its rolling dips and moguls.
At night, though,
Lit by the helmet light

I'm not thinking about where I am
or what comes next,
just what I can see now
That tight corner
That too-close tree.

I try to not think about the riding
How I'm doing
I just pedal and move with the bike
Stay on the firm sweet spot.

We ride together, bunched up,
then we ride apart
Sometimes I'm in front,
Sometimes middle or back
As we leapfrog along the way.

I'm riding at the back, out of sight
When I round a bend and there they are
"You were just behind us"
I'm happy that I'm not holding anyone up

I'm happy that I'm in balance
That I'm staying on the trail
That my legs agree to work at play
And my smile freezes in place
in the fifteen degree cold.