Keeping Up Motivation When Riding Alone

mikeyj28

Most of my mates have now moved away or just don't ride so mostly i ride on my own.
How do you keep motivated while out riding alone to keep going at a good pace etc?

Sometimes i try and latch onto the end of a group and ride with them for a few miles and it breaks up the monotony of riding alone.

Any tips/suggestions? Also there aren't any local clubs near my (strange for Cardiff) but all there seems to be are road racing clubs and sometimes it is nice to go out when i feel likeit and not at a pre arranged tuime/date once a week etc.

Cheers

supersonic

Is the way I prefer to ride to be honest! I guess we ride for different reasons. I am a stop/starter, admire the view, no rush.

ride_whenever

Get yourself a gps unit so you can have a virtual training partner? If you haven't got friends then get a virtual one :P

roger_merriman

supersonic wrote:

Is the way I prefer to ride to be honest! I guess we ride for different reasons. I am a stop/starter, admire the view, no rush.

Snap practically if at my folks place, in the Breacon Beacons.

I do like group rides but they are quite different beasts.

_jon_

supersonic wrote:

Is the way I prefer to ride to be honest! I guess we ride for different reasons. I am a stop/starter, admire the view, no rush.

Same here. I like the freedom to be able to leave when I like (even at the last minute), go at my own pace, and stop and start when I want to. It's also nice to have some time to yourself.

supersonic

Also is because I am crap and don't want anyone to see me LOL!

ashleymp777

I often think of the missus at home in bed waiting for me! ;-) That always speeds me up!

I'm sure this particular post will get deleted!

Briggo

ashleymp777 wrote:

I often think of the missus at home in bed waiting for me! ;-) That always speeds me up!

I'm sure this particular post will get deleted!

Why?

In regards to riding on your own, surely the joy of the scenery or the fact you have ridden X miles is motivation enough.

Also like riding on my own as I dont either feel rushed, or feel like I'm having to wait for someone but at the same time riding in a group is good fun.

MountainMonster

I prefer riding on my own as well. I always set personal targets for myself since I often ride the same track each time I ride.

I have one hill that kills me everytime I ride it. I make it, but just barely. I often set myself counts for how quick I want to get up, and push myself. The only times I have problems with keeping motivated is on the climbs, which is a large chunk of my riding.

I'm like supersonic though, i'm all for enjoying the views, taking small breaks for water if I feel I need one. I'm out to have fun, not to kill myself so I don't worry about time.

_HENDO_

Music helps you keep going, obviously if your on the road, have your wits about you if your music is loud.

submityournentries

ive never ridden with anyone, bar twice. i have to say i prefer riding on my own. i liked the company, dont get me wrong, but i like the ability to stop start, and that i can just randomly veer off on a detour if i see one. however im not an especially fast or good rider, i just enjoy whatever i find.

if i find a hill then sometimes i challenge myself to get up it, sometimes im just like, fudge that, and walk it, and i can when im on me lonesome

SDK2007

If I'm riding at Cannock by myself then I try and catch up the next rider quickly, and repeat.

that_guy

Music helps you keep going, obviously if your on the road, have your wits about you if your music is loud.

+1

Also changing your route every now and again, buying small bits of kit- new gloves etc

cat_with_no_tail

I often think of ashleymp777s wife, in bed, waiting for me.

ashleymp777

Ha! Too funny!

I wont be telling her I put that on a thread! :-)

Anonymous

supersonic wrote:

Is the way I prefer to ride to be honest! I guess we ride for different reasons. I am a stop/starter, admire the view, no rush.

This is what most of our small "group" rides are like as well.
MTBing is meant to be fun, right?

timpop

I often ride alone too. I find it easier to go at my own pace, hammer it when I feel like it and slow down without a worry. And you don't have to wait for anyone. However, I am going out with a friend on Saturday and am looking forward to that. It's nice to share the fun too and the nice views.
But about staying motivated, have a goal and work towards it. Challenge yourself on some good climbs and technical terrain and see how much faster and smoother you get each time you're out on the same route. And find someone to talk to about it as that always helps even if they're not on the ride with you.

ijh66

If you feel the need to ride with others put a post on mtb-wales.com there's usually group rides going on you could join in with.

cj11

I ride alone 90% of the time and find setting personal goals a good motivator, pushing to my endurance limits on the uphills and flooring it on the downhills. The satisfaction of bettering my times and ability is what gets me on my bike everyday. Its something i miss when on group rides as you tend to ride at the pace of the slowest person. Im not a great rider by any strech of the imagination but when i beat/better myself it gives me a real buzz.

MrVanilla

I too generally cycle alone however I have packed in the night riding purely on the basis that if I crash/have a heart attack etc there is unlikely to be anyone walking by to help out. I'll always go on a night ride with a mate though.

Anonymous

I don't ride for any training purposes, no goals, timing, pace, etc. So that means I can just get out and have fun.

For me it's about fun and exploring and get a little exercise. On my own I'd be looking for trails I haven't done and anything a bit challenging. Take my time, and maybe session it a bit.

Even on my own I bump into loads of people, sometimes stop for a chat. Occasionally get an invite to hook up with them or they want to know where a trail is so might show them.

Not that I've done many solo rides for quite a while. Used to do them all the time and loved them as much as group rides, but the frequency of them meant I got to know people. Then I just found people here riding the same areas.

Depends where/what you ride though. If you do stuff that's nearly as dull as going to the gym or road riding, then yes motivation can be hard.

t0pc4t

The first time I'd ever ridden with a group was when DeadKenny, CoolDad, LJStronge and a few others did Swinley, that was great and I didn't find that I had any trouble keeping up.

I mainly ride alone and like people have said, enjoy my own pace and stopping when I want.

On the rare occasions I do race (Bikefest, Octoberfest) I find it's the fitness training on the road that really helps, I can push when I need to but when I am out on my own, I rarely feel that need.

If I wanted to up my speed significantly I would do more races and spend more time on my fitness.

And quit smoking, possibly.

LjStronge

lol - I love the fact that the quitting smoking is just a "possibility!"

Anonymous

LjStronge wrote:

lol - I love the fact that the quitting smoking is just a "possibility!"

As opposed to what?

t0pc4t

LjStronge wrote:

lol - I love the fact that the quitting smoking is just a "possibility!"

I'm not ruling it out LJ

it could happen.

LjStronge

A certainty?

To be fair I spoke to T0pC4t on the trail, so it is a bit of an in joke. I quit this year after 14 years of smoking.

We were laughing at my preaching taking into account I used to smoke.

To be fair, I would never of been able to ride like I do now while smoking!

Anonymous

Hmm, I suppose it is a certainty eventually. Everyone stops smoking at some point, whether they die from smoking related issues, or natural causes

t0pc4t

nah I know what you mean I was stopped for 7 months and saw a massive increase in performance.

what's worse is that when I go to a shop I see all these lovely weight saving bits and bobs and then think 'nah, no point until I've packed the fags in' as I know that's where my biggest performance increase will come from.

It's in the plan just not right now.

The Northern Monkey

I like riding alone, it means I don't feel pressured to keep up with someone faster or I don't have to keep stopping for someone slower.

having said that, i do really like group rides. Sometimes its nice to share a good ride with others!

I'm fairly easily motovated, doesn't take much to get me out of bed and onto the bike.
i guess the money i've spent on the bike is a major motivator though

I try not to latch onto other groups when riding alone though, I either let them past or try and keep my distance, I really hate my rythmn being spoilt by other groups of people stopping and starting on the trail!

Thats why I ride on Saturday mornings... its loads quieter!

WisePranker

With my shift work I only really get the chance to ride on weekdays so I ride alone.

There's something very relaxing about riding round a forest for an hour or two without bumping into another person
To motivate myself, I've set myself a goal of riding the Isle of Man E2E next year so I just keep pushing myself with the aim of completing that!

LjStronge

I don't think I have actually ever been out on my own?

I ride with 3 other guys and one of them is always about. I'll have to have a go on my larry and see what it's like me thinks.