Is it advisable/safe to ride open country on your own?

milk

This is my first post in this forum - but I have been lurking for quite a while...

I recently bought myself a specialized hardrock sport after never really cycling for about 15 years (My dad is a super keen cyclist and we always used to be out and about on bikes when I was growing up), I can't believe it has taken me this long to realise how much fun it is.

I think I can work out most of the newb questions for myself (or just read the other questions asked here) but there are still a few things that I'm unsure about -

I'm slowly building up the length of my rides, from a 5 mile loop round my house in huddersfield, to longer 30 / 40 mile adventures on bridalways etc which is great. But I am starting to wonder if it is safe to be riding deeper and deeper into the peak-district on my own? I have been lucky so far, but I'm guessing that if I fall of my bike in the middle of nowhere while on my own I really would be stuffed?

Is it a good idea to be cycling across open country on your own? Or do I need to find some cycling buddies?

I don't want to let my naive exuberance get the better of me - I have already had an un planned 9 mile walk after going out without a pump. D'oh!

nozzac

Unless you've friends to ride with then you've no choice. Just take a mobile phone and adequate kit with you. I almost always ride alone because I don't know many other riders plus I probably prefer it anyway - just me, the bike and the forest.

Chinley Churner

I live and ride in the Peak District and often head off on my own. Just be sensible carrying food/drink, waterproofs, maybe a survival blanket, map/compass etc..

Take your mobile and sign up for the Mountain Rescue/999 text scheme

http://www.mountain.rescue.org.uk/news/ ... ency-calls

It's often possible to get a text off when there's not enough signal for a call.

Above all, let someone know where you're going and how long you'll be. We've got a blackboard in our kitchen that I scribble this down on for my wife.

If you're really worried you can also get GPS locators so that someone always knows where you are

http://www.findmespot.eu/en/

To be honest though, in the Peak.. you're never that far from civilisation.

bannedbiker

If you can find some riding buddies its a good idea!
Riding with other people is a hell of a lot more fun too!
If you are out on your own a lot like the otehr guys have said you probablly want to be a bit more prepared.

I know civilisation can seem pretty close, but I've had an instance when me and a mate had to carry our 16 stone mate 4 miles to the nearest road to meet our 4th mate with the car to take him to hospital because he was so concussed after a crash. That was the longest 4 miles ever!
If it was only the two of us there I sure as hell couldn't have got him out on my own, so would have had to be able to get hold of the emergance services and direct them to us... Mobile and map at the very least.

milk

Thanks, that sounds like good sensible advice.

I didn't know about the Mountain Rescue/999 text scheme, so I'll sign up for that now.

I was just having a mental image of me lying on my back and trying to explain to the air ambulance where I was.

skaffen

I ride up on the North York Moors on my own every week, I tend to get really competitive if I ride with other people, so it never feels as relaxing! It's kind of nice just to put some music on and be outside for a few hours.

The text messaging thing is a really good idea though, I've always remembered it after reading about James Kim http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Kim who died a few years ago after getting stuck in snow over in Oregon. His and his wife's phones were useless for voice calls because of the lack of a strong enough signal, but the authorities were able to track his wife and kids down based on text messages that they'd sent.

omegas

milk wrote:

. But I am starting to wonder if it is safe to be riding deeper and deeper into the peak-district on my own? I have been lucky so far, !

Probably at greater risk riding through some council estates on my commute into work than you ever would be out on the Peaks.

milk

good point!

I think the greatest risk so far as been to my ego when I have been trying to ride up hills.

On a side note - I keep looking up at the Holme Moss mast thinking I should give it a go at some point too. Perhaps I could test out my new ability to text 999 when I get to the top

paul_75

i nearly alway go out on my own, no pals that like bikes, the odd time the mrs comes with me, iv always got a few tools and a tube in my seat bag, phone in my pocket, but the real must have item is toilet paper, nothing worse than needing a big keech and having nothing but grass to wipe yourself with

Chinley Churner

paul_75 wrote:

i nearly alway go out on my own, no pals that like bikes, the odd time the mrs comes with me, iv always got a few tools and a tube in my seat bag, phone in my pocket, but the real must have item is toilet paper, nothing worse than needing a big keech and having nothing but grass to wipe yourself with

True... happened to me arriving very early at CYB one morning. Had to do what bears do and, it being a pine forest, no suitable leaves for wiping. Had to use a spare sock and bury it.

t0pc4t

the majority of my cycling is solo, I make sure I have decent basic repair kit, proper gear for if the weather changes and a mobile.

I also tell my wife where I am going and when I expect to be back

cooldad

milk wrote:

Thanks, that sounds like good sensible advice.

I didn't know about the Mountain Rescue/999 text scheme, so I'll sign up for that now.

I was just having a mental image of me lying on my back and trying to explain to the air ambulance where I was.

"Yes next to the tree, the big one with leaves"

I normally ride in a group but went out a few weeks ago alone. I got knocked out a while back, and another of the group was in IC, and it struck me as I was barreling down a fast rocky section that if something happened the bears or wolves (I'm sure they're hiding there somewhere) would get me before anyone found me.

Mental Mickey

Might be worth pointing out that 112 can be used along with 999 (works in UK too) to reach emergency services, especially if you plan on riding in Europe etc..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/112_(emerg ... one_number)

diy

I do more riding by myself than with mates, purely because I find a lot of my local riding buddies just aren't up for the type of riding I do.

I think you do have to accept there are risks, but there is a bit you can do to mitigate.

A cycle GPS (or smart phone) is great even if it doesn't do mapping (i've just upgraded my edge 305 to an 800 and its great) I use the free open source maps which means you always know exactly where you are.

Take a phone, 1st aid kit puncture kit etc (see the what tools to carry thread)

Take food and water, waterproofs etc and if you risking coming back late some lights.

obviously tell people your route (with the GPS mrs diy knows exactly my route as its on the computer)

Make sure your bike is in good working order.

temper your riding to take less risks - it can be annoying riding a little slower, but if you are well inside your limits you really do reduce the risk of a crash by quite a lot.

hucking_fell

While riding alone I came off my bike on an out of the way trail that I knew well. It was getting dusk when I fell off and totally dark and a lot colder when I woke up. It was a bit scary thinking that I must have been unconcious for a good while. My neck hurt and it was too painful to turn my head to the left. I've still got a noise in my head when I turn it side to side. It sounds like a foil crisp packet getting scrunched.

diy

The lesson there is to call an ambulance in that situation. When you knock yourself out its because your brain is bleeding. You never really know what can happen next, plus being out for more than 5 mins is extremely serious.

cooldad

I'd see a doctor. Spent 3 months with a broken neck after a m/c accident once before I found out and the doc said I'd been very lucky I didn't take another knock or I could have been typing with my nose.

Anonymous

I ride on my own quite frequently. I know things can go bad, but we've all got to die sometime.
Might as well be in the fresh air, doing what I enjoy.

Briggo

Meh, why worry about it just be prepared as much as you can. Im sure people everyday drive on their own late at night and dont batter an eyelid at doing so, its the same and just as potentially dangerous.

Ride on my own now and then and had a few near misses, adds extra adrenaline

diy

night riding on your own is a different kind of adrenaline :shock:

milk

yeehaamcgee wrote:

I ride on my own quite frequently. I know things can go bad, but we've all got to die sometime.
Might as well be in the fresh air, doing what I enjoy.

:shock:

Well I hope I can survive the ride I have planned for this saturday, it would be a shame to miss the bank-holiday.

But I guess you can never be 100% sure about these things.

(Thanks again for all the advice guys.)

Beanhead Bucko

diy wrote:

When you knock yourself out its because your brain is bleeding.

Incorrect.


I ride alone 99% of the time, i've tried to meet up with groups but my shifts get in the way.

I just go prepared and try not to think about it

diy

perhaps you care to explain why I'm incorrect.

I'm not looking to start an argument, but if I'm wrong I'd like to know.

Anonymous

I believe, DIY, that a concussion can happen because the brain hits the skull. This does not always cause bleeding, but can often result in unconsciousness.
I think so, anyway.

hucking_fell

There's loads of reasons that people become unconcious. Bleeding around the brain usually results in migraine type headaches, strokes and mini-strokes. My brain had been given a fright by being rattled about then stopped abruptly.

I probably should have gone to A and E. I work there so didn't 'cos of all the slagging off I'd get. I saw my GP a day or 2 later who got me an appointment with a specialist 2 weeks after that. By then I had no pain and full movement of my head so she sent me away without doing anything really.

That was a few years ago and I still have the noise in the back of my head. I don't notice it now unless I think to listen for it.

I still ride alone sometimes but I take it easy now.

darpots

With lessons of my youth well learned. Always make sure someone knows your route with an expected time to arrive back. With mobiles it now only take a minute to call to say you will be later than expected.

When I go out on my own I wear a set of Army Dog Tags engraved with emergency contact numbers, just in case I am found incapacitated. I also use Endomondo on my phone with live tracking so the wife always knows where I am, or at least where I stopped. :-0

Even when I am on my own I am never alone.

Anonymous

darpots wrote:

Even when I am on my own I am never alone.

AAARGH, that sounds like a nightmare.
One of the things I enjoy most about biking, or photography, is the solitude of being in the middle of nowhere, all by myself.

diy

What camera do you use yeehaa - i've seen some of your work its good - my mrs is a 'tog

Hucking Fell, I think we have cleared up the issue of bleeding, but the point really is, if you were out for more than 5 minutes, then its a grade 3 concussion (or whatever scale you use), so there is a very high chance that you could loose consciousness at any moment.

bizarrely I was out tonight by myself and got my bell rang when I fell on a drop. I wasn't going fast, but heard a text message beep in my headphones just before the drop, so was not concentrating and didn't get my weight back far enough. Smacked the noggin hard enough to make my eyes hurt. First thing I said to the mrs is keep an eye on me. you never know how severe it can be.

Years ago at a martial arts competition I whacked a chap in the neck with a sloppy kick and gave him compression, I didn't even know what it was then. 20 mins later he collapsed. He fully recovered, but you never know for sure.

tsenior

temper your riding to take less risks - it can be annoying riding a little slower, but if you are well inside your limits you really do reduce the risk of a crash by quite a lot.

diy has it.

due to work and having a young family night riding alone is mainly what i do....i love it.

wordnumb

Is there not a local club you could do a few rides with, just to get a feel for what gear you need to carry and how you set the bike up?

Anonymous

diy wrote:

What camera do you use yeehaa - i've seen some of your work its good - my mrs is a 'tog

Thanks
I use a Sony alpha 500 DSLR. Got a few lenses, and built up quite a selection of kit for it. Only been using the SLR a year, but I was intruiged by photography before then, and had a Fuji S5700 bridge style camera.

diy wrote:

temper your riding to take less risks - it can be annoying riding a little slower, but if you are well inside your limits you really do reduce the risk of a crash by quite a lot.

Ooh, not sure about that. Take away the risk, and the sense of fun dissappears. Some of us ride for kicks. Take the risk away, and that goes out of the window.