[speed metal]

Does anybody else have no one to train with. Due to various reasons the 4 guys I did ride with no longer ride or ride very little. All quit this year. I do most of my structured training rides by myself but always looked forward to the Saturday Hammer ride. I live in a town with a very small cycling community and the nearest city with a fast group ride is 40 miles away. Plus having 2 kids under the age of 3 I hate to waste time driving 80 miles round trip when the time driving takes away from the family .
I'm glad the season is about over. I hope my buddies get back in the swing of things next year. Funny how every hobby/sport reaches a peak in participation then fades away in a year or two. At least in this area. Wednesday "HAMMER RIDE" At one time had 8-10 riders show-up. My 4 buddies and me was the last of the fast group around here. Now I'm the Lone Ranger.:cryin:

 

[waldo425]

Most of my rides are in the lone ranger style. I just like training by myself anyways but I don't know a whole lot of people in the area that are willing to train with me.

 

[Gatorback]

I ride alone probably 85% of the time and prefer it that way. A group ride once a week would be nice, especially for long road rides, but my schedule doesn't always permit. I'm like you in that I don't like the extra time it takes to wait on others or drive somewhere for group rides. At least not for rides of 2 hours or less.

Maybe you should consider making the drive every other weekend for a long group ride or Hammerfest. Trade off with your significant other for some time on the alternate weekend and give her a break and time for herself.

 

[Sherpa23]

I hear you on the kids: I have two little boys, 5 and 3, and I changed my training schedule significantly for them. I want to be able to spend as much good time with them as possible and if I'm riding when we could be at the playground, riding bikes together, or fishing, or anything with them, that eliminates that. As a result, I ride according to their schedule, not my training partners'.

Consequently, after training almost all the time with others in the past, this year, I train almost all the time alone. It's been fantastic. I really think it helps me a lot. I can train more specifically, do more of what I need as opposed to what others want, and have a lot of good time to think about things. I still get in enough racing and while I don't do group rides, I do get in some specific group training once a week.

So, I would say to not fight it and embrace the solitude and benefits that come from solo training.

 

[Undecided]

Does anybody else have no one to train with. Due to various reasons the 4 guys I did ride with no longer ride or ride very little. All quit this year. I do most of my structured training rides by myself but always looked forward to the Saturday Hammer ride. I live in a town with a very small cycling community and the nearest city with a fast group ride is 40 miles away. Plus having 2 kids under the age of 3 I hate to waste time driving 80 miles round trip when the time driving takes away from the family .
I'm glad the season is about over. I hope my buddies get back in the swing of things next year. Funny how every hobby/sport reaches a peak in participation then fades away in a year or two. At least in this area. Wednesday "HAMMER RIDE" At one time had 8-10 riders show-up. My 4 buddies and me was the last of the fast group around here. Now I'm the Lone Ranger.:cryin:

You're lucky that you don't have too much temptation from group rides and are able to focus on your training. Unlike you, I live in area (the SF Peninsula) with great, fast group rides that start within riding distance of my house. It's tempting to do those rides all year---they're a lot of fun, a chance to socialize with a good group, including guys I race against and even some real cycling luminaries. But if I do those rides, I can't really put my best efforts into my focused training, so for most of the year (other than couple of months from the end of the season until I really begin rebuilding my base), I skip them or only do one every few weeks.

 

[Creakyknees]

What Undecided said... group rides can be a crutch... it's good to have them to keep the pack skills sharp, and to test yourself against other strong guys, but really, solo structured training is how you get super fast.

 

[StevenG]

I rarely am able to do any group riding and if I do it is usually MTBing. I started using powermeter this year and it really added motivation & quality to all my solo riding.

 

[speed metal]

The Saturday rides is what I really miss. Plus having a traveling partner going to races.

 

[speed metal]

ooppps posted twice

 

[Wookiebiker]

Most of my rides are solo rides. About the only time I'm with others is during races or on Saturday group rides...and even then depending on the speed they can become solo rides if the pace is slower than what I want to do on that day.

I would love to have 3 or 4 other riders of similar strength to ride with during the week...but that's just not a reality...so the majority of my rides will remain solo for now.

 

[spade2you]

I work odd hours, so a lot of my training is solo. With having to work extra as well as getting married, the solo riding was almost all indoors simply because I needed to utilize every minute on the bike.

You do what you can with what you have. That being said, I might try a group ride this weekend for the hell of it. Haven't really done that since my last RR.

 

[mymilkexpired]

Solo rider here as well. My riding partner (wife) doesn't ride any longer since the baby came. She's got back into running with the little one in the rickshaw.

Lucky for me though, I have a buddy thats starting to like riding so I've been pacing with him to get him over the new guy hump. He's sticking with it so maybe soon enough I will have him up to a level where the riding is a bit more challenging. Only get 1 session a week with him though, so everything else is out and back rides on my own...

 

[oroy38]

What Undecided said... group rides can be a crutch... it's good to have them to keep the pack skills sharp, and to test yourself against other strong guys, but really, solo structured training is how you get super fast.

I agree, but with the caveat that I think group ride-races can be some of the best workouts you can get and certainly one of the best training tools. A weekly group ride-race has been a staple of my training regimen for a long time. Not only do they let you know what you need to work on and keep your pack skills sharp for race day, but, given the right group, they can also be a painfully accurate simulation of race day, especially when 80% of that group are people you've seen at races, and everyone is testing each other's fitness.

On the whole, though, I agree with you that structured solo training is how you get speed into your legs.

 

[Kai Winters]

I ride and train solo and have for the 6 years I have lived in Northern NY. There are not a lot of riders here...too bad, the roads are awesome and traffic is very light...I work an odd schedule and long hours. If I was a hunter or kayaker there would be plenty of people to play with...I live a very short walk from the Black River.
I don't usually mind riding solo. I ride at my pace, no talking unless I want to talk...to myself hehehe...sometimes it is a bit lonely and I do miss my team and training ride folk...ah well.

 

[DalyCityDad]

The great thing about cycling is you can do it alone if you have to or want to. I like riding with other people but like many of the other posters I have limited time. With a sport like football or basketball you are dependant on having others to play with.

 

[mtrider05]

I'm in the same boat, my friend who I started riding with last year quit as well. There are 2 group rides a week here, both categorized as "social pace" rides. Not quite the competitive, push yourself rides I'm looking for. Therefore, I'm relegated to solo rides.