Solo riding

Graeme Jones

Right opinions needed guys/gals. I am planning a solo ride out for Wednesday. It looks an amazing route and looks like it will be a challenge also which is good. I planned the route and have even spotted the same route in a cycling magazine today with a full write up which read well.
My main question is the majority of my riding is solo or with a couple of others but when I have me motioned I'm putting the bike in the car to go find a scenic but challenging route the reaction I get is 'your going on your own'
I quite enjoy my own company at times and don't have an army of friends so am thinking of joining a club to meet like minded people and to help push me on.
Do any of you go out in search of new routes on your own or am I a saddo

danowat

98% of my riding is done solo, and I reckon many people are the same, its far from "sad"

TheEnglishman

But it's so much nicer chewing the fat with kindred spirits.

I did 50 miles today and spoke to 2 people in 4 hours. We're social animals, not solitary ones.

Graeme Jones

I find that my brother in law who I generally do a few rides a month with has a good social life so cycling is not his main priority in his down time where as my down time is cycling as I don't really drink etc.
I think I will look into a club as I would love to have a group of people to ride with although I don't mind riding solo at all.

simona75

For me I spend most of my life in the company of others, whether it be at work or home. Cycling is the only solitude I get and quite frankly I relish it!!

adm1

simona75 wrote:

For me I spend most of my life in the company of others, whether it be at work or home. Cycling is the only solitude I get and quite frankly I relish it!!

Me too. Cycling and long distance air travel are my "me time" (50 miles in the Surrey Hills today, 11 hours on VS19 to San Francisco tomorrow).

However, I am seriously considering joining a club (Horsham Cycling is the nearest one I can find to me), as I have found I do really enjoy riding with others to chat to.

logitech208

I spend all day at work talking to people, I love my solo riding I quite often go on a long ride and stop and have tea and cake by myself.

keef66

I'm a miserable, antisocial git, so virtually all of my riding is solo. On those rare occasions I go out with my eldest son (23) he eventually gets bored with my 'endurance' pace, and tears off on his own anyway.

charliew87

Nice to mix it up. Solo is easiest as you can look out the window, see the sun and jump on yer bike and be 10 miles away half an hour later. Arranging mates and times and locations makes spontaneous ventures somewhat tricky.

Having said that, I wholly recommend getting out with mates every now and again, particularly for longer rides, makes it easier and more fun and you have someone to have a beer with at the end.

ilm_zero7

danowat wrote:

98% of my riding is done solo, and I reckon many people are the same, its far from "sad"

thankfully my % is not as high as that, maybe 60%, but with the Garmin and Strava working it is not boring..

however I do NOT run Strava segments across junctions - that is stupidity

southdownswolf

I probably have a 50/50 split between solo and with friends. I enjoy longer rides by myself as they tend not to be as stop/start as it can with a small group of friends. However, that is probably because we are all of various abilities, so we wait for the slower riders every few miles.

Bozman

90% solo and always has been, originally due to work and now as a full time time Dad you grab what you can when you can, which at the moment is every day during the day because the wife is off for 6 weeks.
I prefer the peace and quiet of solo riding plus you're not held back and you don't have to stop at a bloody cafe.

BobScarle

Saturday morning rides with a group, solo rides as and when I can. This works out to be about 50/50. I enjoy solo riding. Going at my own pace, using my own route, taking different lanes just to see where they go. I like the quietness of a solo ride especially somewhere remote. I think the OP is planning a ride from Bala through Cwm Hirnant on his own. What a lovely ride. I will be there next week looking for a ride in the mountains.

Bobbinogs

Yepp fairly similar to many of the posts in that I welcome the solitude of some rides...and company on others. Hence, about 3-4 rides a week solo, at least 1 other with a local club (although not too much socialising as it is a fast paced ride so great for fitness but the cafe stops are most welcome).

I will often go off trying out new areas on my todd but have found that one of the best ways of achieving this is by doing audaxes, albeit with early morning starts (typically up at 05:00 to get to a 200k start on time, a little later for 100's). Great routes picked out by local cycling enthusiasts, with cake to boot!

Hoopdriver

simona75 wrote:

For me I spend most of my life in the company of others, whether it be at work or home. Cycling is the only solitude I get and quite frankly I relish it!!

Absolutely! Me too!

Calder

Graeme Jones wrote:

........ My main question is the majority of my riding is solo or with a couple of others but when I have me motioned I'm putting the bike in the car to go find a scenic but challenging route the reaction I get is 'your going on your own'
I quite enjoy my own company at times and don't have an army of friends so am thinking of joining a club to meet like minded people and to help push me on.
Do any of you go out in search of new routes on your own or am I a saddo

Mostly solo. Just head out the door in whatever direction I fancy and make it up as I go along. I've also been further afield on my own for rides too. And I appreciate the times I ride with mates more because of it.

I used to do a lot of fell walking on my own as well, and people used to question that - they couldn't believe I'd drive to the lakes just for the day, and they thought it a bit odd that I'm content to spend the day by myself. I think they're used to it now beacuse they ask what I've been up to rather than raise their eyebrows in shock! They spend their weekends farting about and getting fat, while I spend my weekends pedalling/climbing and keeping fit. I know which I prefer.........

........ But then maybe I'm just another delusional solo saddo.........

Either way, just please yourself - no-one else has to like what you're doing. And if it's somewhere nice and scenic like Bala or wherever you're going, then you'll love it.

Ringo 68

The vast majority of my riding is done solo and I do enjoy the chance to get out on my own.

However, the few rides that I have done in company are very enjoyable too. I find the key is to ride with people of similar ability to you. I went out with a friend once who is far faster and fitter than I am and it was hard work. It didn't help that I fell off twice too :roll:

I have yet to find anyone who is far unfitter and slower than me to ride with though

on the road

99.9% of my cycling is solo even though I'm in a club. I've experienced riding in a group but nothing compares with riding solo. The good thing about riding solo is that you can go out at whatever time you like, no rushing to get to the meeting point, ride at whatever pace you like and suddenly veer off your planned route if you so wish.

I think us solo riders might be in a minority.

andy46

All of my riding is solo, every single mile!

None of my mates are interested, they think its strange going off alone for hours at a time at the crack of dawn sometimes. I don't mind though as others have said, it's nice to get away

My girlfriend is getting a mtb so it will be nice to get out for the odd weekend with her, she's also quite fit being a runner so hopefully we'll be at a similar level.

thegreatdivide

I rode 102 miles on Saturday and didn't speak to anyone until mile 86 when I popped into a bike shop to blag some water. I say spoke...but it was more of a quiet croak.

Superbalicious

Having been out of the saddle for a number of years I now quite enjoy solo cycling. As with other replies I'm a Dad and it's one of the two times I get to myself... the other being when I'm on the loo!! The only problem I have with solo riding is that I push myself too hard (well, by my standards anyway). I also feel I won't be able to maintain any form of pace if I rode with a club.