Getting over not wanting to ride alone

[Cataboo]

I ride about 90% of the time by myself... Same with skiing, maybe 50% of the time I kayak alone.. Finding people that want to participate in expensive time consuming hobbies with me at a similar level can be difficult... I'm not super fast or anything, but I'm more "hardcore" than your average weekend warrior. And I was pretty much finding that if I waited for someone to do it with me, I wasn't doing those activities.

I can't say that I'm thrilled with going to a restaurant alone and eating dinner, but for the most part, I've found that I enjoy hiking, biking, skiing or kayaking whether I do it by myself or with someone else. Part of it was just adjusting to the mindset that if I enjoy doing such activities with someone else, then I should be able to enjoy them on my own. It's fun going wheee all the way down a hill whether or not someone's with you to do it.

So when I started biking... I basically studied the road maps in my area (I'd just moved here) and learned the major roads - I head out with a map in my pack, and a GPS, but usually don't have a specific route in mind, I just ride, and take some road that I've never taken before, explore - so I'm always seeing something new, and eventually I get back to one of the major roads and i can find my way back home from there... Not doing a set ride means there's always a surprise or some discovery. I also take my camera along, and I love taking pictures, so I get to stop whenever I want and take pics. When I'm riding/hiking/whatevering with someone else, I'm invariably feeling like I'm slowing them down because I like to stop and take 20 pics of the pretty mushroom or whatever I've spotted. On my own, I can do all of that I want and not feel bad for interrupting someone else's ride/hike/what not.

[Tuckervill]

I think you have to be comfortable just being with yourself. When I cycled in high school, I was always by myself, so I was always "in my head", enjoying my own company. Thinking, pondering, observing. And also not thinking or observing. I like looking at stuff when I ride by myself, the same way I enjoy driving just to see stuff. I'm not overly social, never the life of the party, so I'm okay with doing stuff alone.

So I'd say eliminate the obvious obstacles, like the safety thing (ride when you feel most comfortable) and change your mindset about it. Find something to enjoy about just being with yourself and go do it.

Karen

[indysteel]

Hmmm; I'm not sure exactly what I can say to motivate you, other than to focus on your underlying goals.

I go through phases of wanting to ride alone and wanting to ride in a group. Right now, I'm in an "alone" phase--at least during the week. It's just working better with my schedule. I've also not been riding particularly well, so it's better for me right now to just go my own pace. There are some routes more than others that I like to ride alone. They have less traffic and are more scenic. There're not TOO isolated, however. So, for me, I feel much more motivated when I'm doing a route that I enjoy.

For me, I really have to create a certain mindset with workouts in general--gym, yoga studio or cycling--that I just will not give myself permission to skip them except when I'm sick or have another commitment. The minute I open the door to letting myself off the hook for any other reason, I backslide into inactivity. I have to admit that I haven't been very good this year about staying in that mindset, so it's not easy, but perhaps that's the approach you need to take. Tell yourself that you have to ride on a given day, alone or not, and stick to it. Hopefully, you'll rediscover the joys of riding alone, and it will eventually become less of a chore.

I'm lucky in that I do have any number of cycling buddies to ride with if I so choose. Could you possibly work on finding new riding buddies who might be able to ride with you in addition to the couple you already know? Are there any weekday/evening rides offered by your club and/or local shops?