What do you do?

[Grog]

It's just amazing everything you discover in the world when you're focusing your senses on the world around you. I betcha you'll see things you never saw before if you truly turn your attention to the road and its surroundings.

And yes talking to others and to your bike is an option.

I love music as well, but I never ride with it (unless it's on the trainer). I always have a song in my heart though.

[tulip]

It's just amazing everything you discover in the world when you're focusing your senses on the world around you. I betcha you'll see things you never saw before if you truly turn your attention to the road and its surroundings.

+1. Being in the moment and part of the world around me is one of the main reasons I ride my bike. There are no distractions, just what is happening. It's quite powerful.

[Psycler]

Grog and Tulip, I agree completely.

[Jiffer]

I have done some organized rides where I "happened" to notice they say "no headphones", but people wear them anyway, including me, and it is not an issue. I think they say it as a precaution, but in my experience, they don't enforce it. Especially if you are reasonably subtle about it and only wear it in your right ear. I don't want to get you in trouble, though. Just giving you my two cents.

Having said that, I have done a few races where I for sure could not wear headphones without being disqualified. The first was 55 miles and I was a little freaked at the possibility. But found the thrill of doing the race kept me going. I think you'll find you'll be distracted enough with the ride itself and the people around you to be too frustrated about no music. But I suspect you'll see other people wearing headphones. Not that you should. That's your choice to make. I think the worst that could happen is they tell you take it off.

Have fun and good luck!!!

[indysteel]

+1. Being in the moment and part of the world around you is one of the main reasons I ride my bike. There are no distractions, just what is happening. It's quite powerful.

Absolutely. I don't generally like listening to music with earphones anyway, but I love the noisy quiet of my rural rides. By noisy quiet, I mean that overall it's generally pretty quiet riding out in the country--until I focus on the chatter of all the birds and insects, mixed with the hum of my bike. I love it.

[PamNY]

+1. Being in the moment and part of the world around me is one of the main reasons I ride my bike. There are no distractions, just what is happening. It's quite powerful.

This, exactly.

[Maxxxie]

I always have some song or another going through my head, whether I'm cycling or not. +1 to other peoples' suggestions of saturating yourself with great cycling music beforehand. Then just play an "encore" in your head and you'll be fine

Max

[Pedal Wench]

I always have a song in my heart though.

Love that!

I ride with music about 50% of the time. Never in a group or when riding with friends, and not usually on my intown rides. I was doing a long, lonely hill training ride, realized I left my player at home and almost turned around to get it. But, on that ride, on the descents in particular, I almost got my descending mojo back. Part of it was singing out loud. The Glee version of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" just had me carving turns like never before.

[marni]

ah bless the "mind worms" of songs that wander through my mind when I ride. I talk out loud to myself, the animals, mutter at the drivers, and then I make up songs about the ride and alternate them with Queens' Bicycle race, and some mental mozart masses that I only know a few words to, or just think my thoughts, watch the road and listen to the birds. I do however often ride with an earbud in my bra if I am doing intervals or really pushing for speed and or distance but that is because I ride solo 99.9% of the time.

Incidentally, for those who haven't yet discovered them yet there is a podcast called "Podrunner" which does a whole series of podcasts featuring tempo runds at different speedds, plus a series of training podcasts for 5,8 and 20 K training with gradually building tempos. These are great for intervals on the bike.

marni