Riding solo

[chickwhorips]

i am one of those solo riders also.

the most i've ridden with is my BF. i think it would be neat and scary to ride with a big group of people.

glad i'm not the only one out there riding solo. (no bears or fox don't count as riding buddies.)

[indysteel]

Hi BACarver. I'm from Indianapolis so it's nice to "meet" a former resident and fellow Hoosier on the forum. Where in Indiana do you live?

I just started riding this summer and most of the 1400 miles I've ridden since June have been on my own. I'm at the point where almost any ride still feels challenging, but I do feel like I push myself. In fact, in fighting the wind on my own, I think I've become a stronger rider than I would otherwise be if I'd had the luxury of drafting.

I just started doing club rides in September, but I find myself riding alone sometimes even on those rides because the group thins out so much. I've met a few people from the club to ride with and they challenge me a bit, but I don't get the same satisfaction that I get from my solo rides. There's just something very Zen about spinning alone on a country road. That said, I hope to join some training rides next year so that I acquire new skills, meet more people, and hopefully get pushed to go a little faster.

Do you like to climb? If you live in Southern Indiana, I imagine you can't avoid hills. As you know, Indy is pretty flat so I have to seek them out. That's my biggest training goal for next year so if you'd ever like to get together for some hill work somewhere in your neck of the woods, please let me know. I was already planning on going to Ellettesville to work on some of the hills included in the Hilly Hundred.

Kate

[Bad JuJu]

Welcome aboard, BA! I've been cycling for years, off and on, and almost always on my own. Just this year, just since late July, actually, I started riding with a local club on Saturdays. In that short time, I've improved noticeably in speed and climbing ability.

But I'm the kind of person who tends to twiddle along comfortably when I ride alone, enjoying the scenery, having a good time. I challenge myself occasionally, but not regularly. I enjoy riding alone enormously, but it'll never make me a better rider. On the other hand, the only reason I want to get better is to be able to ride longer distances. Other than that, speed and climbing ability don't matter to me that much.