Riding Alone
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239 Posts
Ahhh, the beauty of cycling is that it can be a social event or one of solitude. I enjoy both. I will ride with friends when they are able to, but, I also enjoy riding a course by myself. Time to think and observe the countryside in peace is a rare opportunity.
I prefer to ride alone. I don't ride much on public roads as I live near many miles of paved bicycle trails. I ride a slow mountain style bike and pretty much get passed by everyone. I ride for the exercise so I really don't care if other people go faster than me. Also I give folks a wide berth when I encounter them on the trail, the one thing I can reliably predict about people is that they are unpredictable. I don't ride to socialise, bicycling is a Zen thing for me, I ride to clear my mind and rid myself of negative energy.
I love it. I ride by myself 99.9% of the time. You can set off just when you want without having to wait for anyone, ride where you want, as hard (or easy) as you want and you don't have to put up with all the break-downs that others seem to always have. The more people there are on a ride, the more annoying silly problems you have to endure like -
"Can you wait, I have -
- a flat tire."
- a brake rubbing."
- a loose saddle."
- only one shoe."
- no water."
- to pee."
- to make a phone call."
- to take a phone call."
- to shampoo my hamster."
- a pedal falling off."
- something in my eye."
The list of excuses goes on.
I too like riding alone. I just started a couple of weeks ago but I live in Columbus, Ohio and have a boatload of bike paths. I can ride around downtown Columbus, or take a trip to several other nearby towns. I probably will get to know some others this summer who ride, but really don't mind taking in the sights on my own. Good to hear others enjoy it also.
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168 Posts
If people would stop when I stopped, looked around when I looked around, then sure I'd ride with others 
I ride to get out and enjoy the scenery and clear my head.
I ride to get out and enjoy the scenery and clear my head.
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8,103 Posts
I prefer to train with teammates.
But sometimes I really, really enjoy riding alone. My favorite solo ride is a 30-40 minute warm up and then repeats on a 30 minute loop that includes a 10-12 minute hill. I spin up the hill at my perfect sweet spot pace, I cruise around the top comfortable and then bomb the descent on the backside. I don't think I need to touch the brakes once on the entire ride. Sometimes I loose track of time and end up doing five repeats.
But sometimes I really, really enjoy riding alone. My favorite solo ride is a 30-40 minute warm up and then repeats on a 30 minute loop that includes a 10-12 minute hill. I spin up the hill at my perfect sweet spot pace, I cruise around the top comfortable and then bomb the descent on the backside. I don't think I need to touch the brakes once on the entire ride. Sometimes I loose track of time and end up doing five repeats.
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1,231 Posts
1000%
Group riding is ok...but solitary is where its at for me personally.
The road is my confessional at times. I go to face myself, my demons, to clear my head and to often "punish" myself for my dietary transgressions of the previous week. When I ride alone it clears my head...I love it.
When I'm out on the road, I don't want chatter...or hang ups...or limits...or even someone pushing me harder than I should be going that day.
Every group has the talker, the uber competitor and the "hold up" guy. All are annoying as hell and I don't want them ruining my limited cycling time. Like you every ride is different, every day is different. If I say to myself "Well...this ride will be 19mph average over 30 miles or else." I'm setting myself up for irritation. I go out and set my own pace...and it's rarely that same every time.
I have a few buddies that I like to ride with but like you, 99%+ of my riding is alone.
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11,887 Posts
When I do the group rides here in secluded NE Texas, I typically leave early and do a short loop before meeting up with the rest of the group outside of town. I have a couple of reasons, I've always been slow to warm up and they go off like a shot, and they are complete dumbasses with regards to traffic laws, group etiquette, and about half the people area wearing headphones. I do the part of the ride out on country roads with long stretches of hammering. I like the solitude of my warmup and cooldown. My average speed is a few miles an hour slower than the group, but I own most of the strava segments on the ride.
I ride alone most of the time. Mostly cause I like to ride at my own pace and tend to do my entire ride without stopping and at my full speed. I can get through a 46 mile ride in 2.75 hours, the local group that i ride with occasionally, takes about 4 hours to do the same route. It's not that they are slow, it's that they stop every few miles to regroup, talk, eat, adjust and all kinds of other things. It takes way too long.
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8,816 Posts
I like riding alone, I like riding with friends, and I like riding with the faster guys because that makes me faster.
Last night I skipped the group ride and rode alone. I flatted on a lonely gravel road, and having people around with extra tubes and to help is always nice. Generally having company is enjoyable, but sometimes I'm not in the mood. It is nice to have the choice.
Last night I skipped the group ride and rode alone. I flatted on a lonely gravel road, and having people around with extra tubes and to help is always nice. Generally having company is enjoyable, but sometimes I'm not in the mood. It is nice to have the choice.
over 90% of my riding is solo. I'm retired and can go out when I want not when every one gets off work. I live 3 blocks from being on country roads so I don't have to ride through town, or on a bike trail to meet up with anyone. I ride for fitness, both physical and mental. Having to speed up or slow down for a group or listen to someone annoying or boring would not do anything for my mental health
Me too! I'm retired and live maybe 5 blocks from country roads. I set off at either 10am or 1pm on weekdays, depending on the weather. I rarely ride on the weekends as there's more traffic on the roads. I usually use them as rest days. Last year I caught up to a local woman road racer (who I didn't know but I've heard of) and rode with her for about 3 miles while she yabbered on about how good she was and what races she had coming up....blah, blah, blah. She was turning right and so was I but I made the excuse that I was going straight. Then I finished the ride in P&Q and at my normal faster speed; not hers.
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7 Posts
I'm riding solo fixed gear from Buffalo NY to Chicago I.L. (over 500 miles) in memory of a lost friend. I'm raising money for his family. I don't know where i should start tho, and i came to this site in hopes of getting some sort of replies/advice from other people. i ride every day, i just have never done something like this before. Anything, from anyone would be nice.
Thanks,
Johnny.
Thanks,
Johnny.
Joined
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1,311 Posts
I have been on two group rides this year, neither of which was a paceline affair.
The purity, austerity, independence, self-sufficiency is addictive for me. Also with
my physical parameters, the ability to strictly control my pace according to the
the moment by moment assessment is of great benefit in my training and injury
prevention.
The purity, austerity, independence, self-sufficiency is addictive for me. Also with
my physical parameters, the ability to strictly control my pace according to the
the moment by moment assessment is of great benefit in my training and injury
prevention.
I prefer riding by myself or with just 1 or two people I'm close with. My dad and I did a ton of riding together when I was in my teens and I still love riding with him.
I love riding with my wife (though she thinks she's holding me back and won't ride with me much. )
But, I LOVE riding by myself. Usually I don't like being alone in my head without music or something distracting me, but out on my bike, its just me, the road, and whatever floats in and out of my head to keep me spinning the cranks.
I love riding with my wife (though she thinks she's holding me back and won't ride with me much.
)But, I LOVE riding by myself. Usually I don't like being alone in my head without music or something distracting me, but out on my bike, its just me, the road, and whatever floats in and out of my head to keep me spinning the cranks.
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