Riding alone out in the sticks

[SnappyPix]

I was wondering how many of you ladies ride alone as part of your training?

There's a wonderul ride I can do from my front door, it takes me through some of the most stunning scenery and has some monster climbs that are fantastic for my training.
Thing is, I never normally do this ride alone. The countryside it takes me through has LOTS of narrow, blind bends - these are a mixture of steep climbs and nailbiting descents. There are very few houses for the latter part of the ride and cars can speed quite fast around the bends. The roads themselves are barely wide enough for a car.
My reluctance to do this ride alone is purely for safety reasons - if I got clipped by a car, there'd be no-one with me to look out for me or dial for an ambulance. This feels like a pathetic excuse though. I'm a confident, safe cyclist and can fix a multitude of mechanicals - and it frustrates me that I'm scared to do this ride on my own, as it would catapult my training into the next level. It generally takes about 4-5hrs to do the ride and because it's winter here, waiting for my partner to get home to do the ride together isn't an option.
I've never had any near-misses when I've previously done this ride with my partner, but I'm nervous to do it alone.

I guess the question is (after I've finished blathering on!), would you do the ride on your own? How many of you ride out into the middle of the countryside on your own?
I'm not sure if I'm being overcautious or whether I should just bite the bullet and conquer my fears!
I'd really value your opinion on this.

[margo49]

Yeah, I would do it
like a shot
Tell someone your route and when you go and when you expect to be back. (Usual kiwi procedure)
And take a cell phone set up with some quick dials for emergencies

Perhaps leave a trail of crumbs ...

[SnappyPix]

Sigh.

Your city's being bombed and I'm worried about a bit of traffic.

Tell someone your route and when you go and when you expect to be back.

Shhhh. I can't do that - I wouldn't be allowed to do that route on my own. It has to be my/our little secret!

[tprevost]

I ride alone all the time; however, I do usually tell someone where I'm going and call DH when I'm done (Like today when I was riding in the heat and he was worried). Do you get cell service on that route? I do carry my phone in case of emergency along with wearing a RoadID.

Do you have another friend (who doesn't freak about you riding alone) that you can call w/your ride info and check in when you're done?

I would definately ride it; of course, taking all appropriate precautions first. Let us know what you decide to do!

Trac'

[kiwi girl]

I was trying to remember exactly where you live. Is your ride through the Waitaks? When my parents still lived in Avondale I used to ride up Scenic Drive and back thorugh Owaraka (sp) by myself when I was visiting them. I'd ride most places in and around Auckland that I could think of by myself.

I do almost all my riding by myself in the outskirts of Christchurch.

[Raindrop]

I almost always ride alone due to my schedule and although my routes don't come close to what you've described, an accident can happen in any situation right?

I do what others have said. I mention to my husband the general area I plan to ride, I have my cell phone with ICE (In Case of Emergency #) programmed in, and I have an ankle bracelet with my name and emergency contract on it that I got from RoadID.com.

So....I do what I can to identify myself in case of emergency. Life is too short to be too scared. I did that for too long and I don't want to live my life like that any longer.

Having said all that, do you have the equivalent of Craigslist there? Or use this site and try and recruit some partners to ride. There are a lot of women like myself that ride alone most of the time but would love to be on-call for a ride.

[crazycanuck]

Hey snappy,

What area exactly are you riding to?? (If you're a mtn biker let me know) If you're headed to the waitaks or the hunuas, be careful. (are you sure you don't want to become a mtn biker??? Much safer than the main roads around auckland & the north island in general)

I wouldn't ride on the main roads in auckland (hence why we're moutain bikers....) but if you do, make sure you ride in the main coverage areas for Telecom or vodafone, leave a note stating when you'll be back, take over the lane if possible as we both know how windy the roads can be!!

Most of all, take care on your ride & i'm sure there are some nice auckland drivers willing to give cyclists some space........

c

[Nanci]

I like to ride alone. I try to tell BF the general direction I am going. I also feel a lot better since I got my Road ID ankle thing. I feel like, if something happens, someone will know who I am and who to call.

Nanci

[DeniseGoldberg]

I ride alone most of the time. In fact, when I rode across the United States it was a solo effort.

I also live alone, so there is no one to call at home if I'm in an accident - but I wear a RoadID that includes my name and emergency contact info as well as health-related info and the name & phone number of my primary care physician. I hope that is never needed, but I'd rather have it on me than not.

--- Denise

[margo49]

Shhhh. I can't do that - I wouldn't be allowed to do that route on my own. It has to be my/our little secret!

Yeah, I know that one from my Jordanian Border Route...
Lucky the SO knows that I *just haffta* every 6 months .So we agreed that I would tell him and he would not worry or complain as long as the frequency was 2 X per year. And I won't go into my "Yow! Gotta check the GPS! Seems like we've been transported to Teheran" routine
(You can cut that kind of deal after 20 years!)

[Cassandra_Cain]

I pretty much ride nothing but alone. If you've got the right partner than it can be fabulous, but otherwise, I'm most comfortable on my own.

Anyway, while intellectually doing this ride makes perfect sense obviously you have some reservations. Which, is totally fine.

Maybe think about what is making you a bit reluctant to do the ride. Are the reasons, good ones?

Finally, you can always start by doing portions of the ride - like most things, easing into them - slowly - makes it much better. It is your comfort level - do what feels right to you - if it means skipping this potential great ride, then that's ok, and if it means you try the new ride, well go for it!

[Tuckervill]

I ride alone most of the time, and on the same kind of route. I suspect it's a lot closer into town than yours, but it's still isolated. There are few cars to speak of, but the twisty bendy part is there, and I do worry about a fast pick-up sliding into me. I worry more about dogs, though, because folks in the country don't keep their dogs penned up. Snakes. A rabid oppossum or something like that.

I was really nervous about it before I tried it. Then I did it. (I took the uphill way by mistake! oy.) After that time, I was no longer concerned about what could happen. The things I was worried about can happen anywhere at anytime. I have my cell phone and my ID. I told people which way I was going.

Perhaps you should tell someone you're going that way who doesn't really care what you do...like a co-worker or a neighbor. Heck, make it someone here on TE who lives near you. Have a prearranged check-in time with instructions on what to do if you don't call.

Life is for living, not worrying. When my kids were born I vowed to never be like my mother and say, "BEEEEE CAREful!" to them when they left the house. I always said, "HAVE FUN!"

Have fun!

Karen

[DirtDiva]

I agree. Do the ride and tell someone who won't snitch on you where you're going and when you expect to be back. (If you're comfortable doing that of course - maybe you're not as naturally sneaky as I am... )

[Veronica]

I ride alone a lot, usually areas that I know well. Today, I'm moving out of my comfort zone though and doing a solo ride in Marin. It's not the boonies, really, but it's also not a place I KNOW. But I've made sure Thom knows my route. MP does too, since she helped me work out.

When I ride alone I usually e mail Thom when I leave and when I get back. He knows the general area I'll be in.

I'd give it a try. You know the route, you know what to expect. And I wouldn't be sneaky about - but I'm lucky that Thom fully supports my riding.

V.

[natheless]

I ride alone most of the time. I have a cell phone now, but that's new this year, and mostly in case something worse than a flat happens. I'd like to get one of those RoadID thingys - right now I just have a card in my bike trunk with emergency contact & medical info. I don't tell anyone my route (though that's not a bad idea.)

As others have said, bad things can happen anytime, anywhere. I just heard about a friend of a friend who didn't wear his helmet because he was just going to run an errand, and the poor guy got unlucky and had an accident (no one really knows what happened) and got his head bashed in within a couple miles of home (he's alive, but not in good shape.)

Frankly, I tend to feel like the middle of nowhere is safer a lot of the time, and that a helmet (and bright colored clothing) is your best defense. Most likely, the only problems you will encounter will be mechanical - since you can handle those, you're unlikely to get stranded... (but make sure you bring plenty of water, in case you do ever find yourself having to walk home!)