Getting over not wanting to ride alone

[Pedal Wench]

Maybe next year we can find a brevet to do do together. If all goes well I'm hoping to get up to at least a 300K, and who knows, perhaps even a 400

I would LOVE to do that! Depending on the 300K, we're in darkness, and that's when I'm uncomfortable. Either a 300 or 400K would be fine with me - and I would love the company.

(Plus, what an amazing opportunity to meet ya!)

[shootingstar]

In the past, in a different city, one of my regular cycling routes 'coursed through some isolated ravine parks, then long swaths of parkland with hardly anyone and by wilder areas by a waterfront. I felt much safer on a bike when alone..compared to the lone joggers I saw, especially early in morning when I started off alot of my daily riding.

How do some solo joggers feel comfortable in certain isolated areas? Yes, cars are dangerous but this is why I try to design regular routes that reduce my daily exposure to heavy/fast car traffic for long stretches of distance.

So when I see lone joggers in such situations, it actually motivates me to keep on moving along. I know, I'm wierd..

First few years I did put on my cyclometer and tracked mileage daily. But gave that up, when I found it demotivated me..ie. days I didn't do as much I flogged myself.

Since I do regular routes solo, I generally do know my mileage each time. (Or if I'm riding with him on an "atypical" route, I know mileage via him). So for the month of May, to my shock last night, I calculated I would have done just abit over 1,000 kms. I have done no bike touring trips this month. So if I continue like this until end of Sept., that's over 5,000 kms. (as I said 40% would be done solo)...but that's assuming I'm still unemployed by that time. I have SUCH mixed feelings about this sort of potential "achievement" under not the greatest time in life.

Oh well, might as well make the best of it.

[atombessy]

The main thing I had to get comfortable with in order to ride alone is basic bike maintenance. Just knowing that I don't need someone else's help made a big difference getting me started. If you're already at that point, my best advice is just to make yourself do it on a regular schedule to start, and you'll get used to it. I started regularly riding alone about a year ago and now that I'm in the groove I don't think twice about heading out by myself. I'm in a similar situation where either our local group rides start way later than I'm willing to start (I'm ready to go at 4:30 and they don't start until 6:30? what do I do with myself for two hours in between?) or the starting point is a pain to get to (I'll drive to the start if I must, but I prefer not to).

good luck!

[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.

[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.

[tctrek]

I so wish I could ride alone... but I'm such a newbie and really have no confidence most of the time unless DH is with me. I've only been riding a little over a year and I just recently got enough confidence to allow DH to pull away from me from time to time and actually get out of my line of sight. That used to freak me out, but now I know I can catch him eventually (actually he slows down and waits for me, which is totally humiliating).

In June, I'm taking a Carmichael Women's Training camp and I'm hoping to take away some basic maintenance knowledge on the bike so that I might feel confident enough to go out alone.

I'm not a hopeless case, but definitely a work in progress

[woohoo]

Thanks for the tip further up, Pedal - sounds brilliant!

[shootingstar]

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.

Great, Oakleaf.

Each person has a different definition of "training". I'm probably slower compared to many folks here. However if I did overly focus on that weakness, the enjoyment of cycling would have been sucked out of me years ago. I wouldn't have stuck to cycling for this many years so far and for long stretches of time where I have and still do cycling solo when no one is immediately available to cycle with me at certain times.

Meantime during this time period of just cycling abit longer distances nearly daily..I've lost abit of weight despite eating about 10% more food.

The only goals I have in mind when I cycle solo is to do certain distances within really vague time frames. To help myself when I go on long touring loaded rides with my partner. And I don't get obsessed about those daily time benchmarks. Half of the time, I forget to check my watch at the end of the ride.

At this time in my life, I'm a pretty absent-minded cyclist in terms of technical details of what I achieve annually...except I do have a vague idea of total cumulative mileage, I do want to control my weight and I know what type of terrain, weather and maximum ride distance, I find easy vs. very difficult.

I am hopelessly slack compared to many people here.