Getting over not wanting to ride alone

[shootingstar]

Do you jog just yourself often? Or some other regular sport activity that you do alone? If yes, maybe that might help abit.

For starters, if I bike at night/when dark (which could be early morning), it truly is because I have a specific purpose in mind...to get to my destination. And usually whenever I've cycled at night, the distance tends to be under 20 kms.

So all the solo riding is primarily during daylight. Since I've been cycling regularily since 1992, I've gone through different phases of motivation. But there are several compelling things that still keep me cycling regularily solo about 40% of the time (since my partner isn't always around and any cycling friends I had, they have other personal schedules which made cycling together infrequent.):

*I have a few stock bike routes that I choose from, depending on weather and time of year. And my motivation. I do tend to prefer routes that have at least 1-2 hills, long quieter road segments and with something interesting/lovely to see along the ride. Even if it's the same old scenery..it changes according to time of year, weather, etc. I feel very lucky where we live now, there are some beautiful regular bike routes that I cobble together.

*allow my body to feel the cycling sensation every day. So that I get my body hooked on frequent cycling to a point, that body yearns to cycle on a lousy weather day when I haven't cycled. So after non-cycling day(s), I'm more motivated to return cycling.

*car-free life. Man, when a person is forced to buy groceries on bike, do other errands, it does keep me on the bike solo more often. I definitely cannot let myself off the hook to get the stuff that I want/need to use.

These past few months I've been cycling daily approx. 32-42 kms. per ride. Over the years, have done few solo rides that were 70-90 kms. each. Just routes I made up. For longer distances, I do tend to stay longer on the bike if I ride with at least 1 other person.


I'm not sure what else new I can offer to comments others have made already. I've always tended to be slightly hermit-like, a friendly one. I was the nerd kid who loved spending hrs. by herself on some art project or cycling in the cemetary (because it was a safe place that was relatively car-free to ride).

[tribogota]

Not advice but sympathy. I actually have to give up on a lot of riding cause I don't have anyone to go with. I just don't think it is safe to go alone. Hypothetically....what if I AM wearing my Road ID, but fall and roll down the side of the shoulder and no one sees me for awhile...scary thought but also a possibility.
I have spent the last year begging, asking, showing up, to rides with people. My teammates are WAY too good for me, so I go with them when we go ONE way OUT and the same WAY back, so the "pick me up" on their way back. I also have other teammates that I train with on their 'easy' days and I ride like heck to keep up. Keep looking, keep looking, keep looking, the best way is to start up conversations with people ON their bikes, if you see each other around enough, you might strike up a riding relationship. I finally have people to go with TWO days a week!

[OakLeaf]

Good comments all, thanks!

I prefer to run alone, actually, and that gave me some insight. When I'm running, I think about running. Foot strike, pelvic rotation and leveling, femur alignment, arm swing; if I'm doing speedwork, then concentrating on keeping the pace (and wondering how much freakin' longer until the recovery interval ) etc., etc., etc. Sure, on a longer run my thoughts will drift, and if I'm on the beach where I don't have to pay much attention to my surroundings I may do specific meditations, but mostly I'm thinking about running.

Cycling, I don't want to think so much about my form. Partly because it's half decent already (or so I'm told), partly because the reason it's half decent is because of the race training back in the day, that I totally burned out on and do not want to burn out again. And I especially don't want to do speedwork or set fitness goals on the bike. I'm very wary of getting "too serious" about cycling just because of how hard I burned out the last time (didn't ride at all for 12 years).

Then, just because of the speed and balance involved, I have to be more aware of my surroundings on the bike - no rolling my eyes halfway up in my head as I can do in a running meditation. Yeah, in that sense it is like motorcycling, but I don't feel like I need to be hyper-aware 100% of the time on the bici as I do on the moto. (Maybe I should. ) But the difference that I think is most relevant here, between the bici and the moto, is that on the moto, when something hurts I know I'm doing it wrong. If all I had to do all day on the bici was scream downhill at 40+ mph I don't think I'd have any trouble with motivation. But there's the little matter of getting up those hills.

So bottom line is I think I said it myself in my OP, w/r/t commuting: I need a sense of purpose, I need a reason to ride. Living in the country as I do, "seeing nature" ain't the reason, either - I see lots more if I stay quiet at home. This year I do have a goal ride in the fall (Columbus Fall Challenge), so I guess I just have to focus on that and how disappointed in myself I'll be if I don't finish, and how much it'll hurt if I attempt it without being in shape. That's getting perilously close to "too serious." But maybe I just need to do it.

Keep the thoughts coming - thanks!

[tulip]

I'm the same way, Oakleaf. Last year I bought a house that is near some wonderful rural riding, even though it's in the city. Within 10 minutes of riding, I'm out in farmland. But for some reason it's SO DARN HARD for me to get motivated to get on my bike, even though once I do and I'm out there riding, I have a wonderful time by myself.

I agree with you about having to have a reason, too. I don't commute anymore since I work from home...so it should be easier just to "go for a bike ride, right? Right??

Three things that I've found that help me are establishing a habit, having a plan, and keeping track of mileage. I have not been very good at any of these recently, but I aim to get back at it.

Maybe we should motivate each other!?

[Geonz]

www.bikejournal.com

The thread on hte forum about "quarters" - 25 to 50 mile rides - got me out for a real ride yesterday instead of hte 10K that is the "minimum daily ride to count as consecutive days ridden" that's another thread. (Today likely to be an attempt at 10K because it's *foggy* here - in the city - and I dunno what it'll be like at the mountain destination...

[Heifzilla]

When I started riding, I hated riding by myself. I hate doing anything by myself, actually. I had to have someone to chat at, etc.. However, I was forced to ride alone because there was just no one to ride with around here except DH, and he can't ride with me all the time. After a few weeks of getting out there and riding, I found that I *wanted* to ride by myself, and actually riding with DH is mostly annoying :lol: Plus, my average speed goes *way* down when I ride with someone.

Maybe you just have to do it and you will find yourself eventually enjoying it.

[OakLeaf]

Well since just freakin' doing it is so much more interesting than sitting around on the internets talking about it, I got out for 51 miles/4000 feet of climbing today at a sightseeing pace. Which is actually the longest I've ridden solo since I came back to cycling. I didn't set out that way, I'd actually only planned for about 43, but had to backtrack a little bit for some road construction, and then at the end I turned left instead of right to get just one more hill and an extra 4 miles or so.

It didn't kill me. I didn't get lost (thanks, Garmin). It was kinda fun just poking along - probably not much actual exercise, but I think the objective right now is to get myself to want to do it, and then I can think about training.

[ttaylor508]

Good comments all, thanks!

So bottom line is I think I said it myself in my OP, w/r/t commuting: I need a sense of purpose, I need a reason to ride. Living in the country as I do, "seeing nature" ain't the reason, either - I see lots more if I stay quiet at home. This year I do have a goal ride in the fall (Columbus Fall Challenge), so I guess I just have to focus on that and how disappointed in myself I'll be if I don't finish, and how much it'll hurt if I attempt it without being in shape. That's getting perilously close to "too serious." But maybe I just need to do it.

Keep the thoughts coming - thanks!

I think I first started riding alone with the purpose of being able to keep up with DH on group rides. That was really my sole purpose, to build strength and endurance. I now enjoy going out by myself and pushing as hard as I can for as long as I can. That challenges me enough to want to improve each time I go out. I guess I see it as more of a workout/training session (not necessarily training for anything other than improving my fitness level). The fact is, if weather is nice, I would rather be outside than putting in hours on my indoor trainer or at spinning class.