Quote Originally Posted by raruss1 View Post
I have been stuggling with this problem for a while now and thought I would get your thoughts as a 'sanity check'.
Here is my situation: I love to ride and explore on the rural roads in my county. This means roads that meander though remote areas that may not have a house for miles and you may see a car every 10 minutes or so.

I dont know anybody to ride with so I go alone.

Would you ride alone in a situation like this?
Am I taking foolish risk?

Thanks
Are you taking a foolish risk--no.

Are you taking a risk--yes.

You should be able to ride on an isolated road without any problems (in a perfect Utopia). Unfortunately, we live in a crime ridden society. I've witnessed a violent attack, and I've been the victim of an armed robbery where I was tied up along with all of my coworkers. It's not all tv hype. Once when I did jury duty, they polled the potential jurors with the question of who has been the victim of a crime, or known someone who was the victim of a crime, and every single person (about 100 people) raised their hands.

Trust your gut. If you don't feel safe, don't do it. I think someone else suggested self defense training, and I second that. Empower yourself with more than the thought that nothing bad can ever happen.