Do you mountain bike alone?

[sundial]

Having it is very empowering.

[Becky]

Having it is very empowering.

Y'know, I've actually considered this....but I wonder what I would do if put in a situation that called for that level of force. I don't know if I could actually draw a weapon....

[Irulan]

Y'know, I've actually considered this....but I wonder what I would do if put in a situation that called for that level of force. I don't know if I could actually draw a weapon....

well, if you are licensed to carry you've been through all the training which would imply the confidence to know what to do....

[Becky]

well, if you are licensed to carry you've been through all the training which would imply the confidence to know what to do....

I've been target shooting since I was little, but I don't have a CWP, and I'm not sure I'd want to face the issue of taking a life. It's more the moral issue than the practical ones....

So hard to know what you'd do until you're actually in a situation.

[brigitte]

I usually ride alone. I will only do trails I know, so if there is something new to try I will wait for a riding buddy to try it with. I always carry a cellphone - even if reception is spotty you can sometimes get a text message out. I always carry a snack and H20. I too am single but will let someone know (neighbor, family or one of my daughters) approximately where I am riding and an estimating return time - I will even say "if you don't hear from me by "X" time then I am in trouble." I then make sure inform them of my return. If there is no one around to tell, I have left a note on my dining room table that explains my whereabouts.

I ride conservatively when I am alone. I am a nurse so relatively simple injuries I can handle by tearing a jersey as a tourniquet or to wrap a wound. I have a small set of tools/repair kit with me with a pump and ALWAYS take daylight into consideration.

Don't let being alone stop you!... some of the best stuff I have done was when I was alone, there is obviously no one to compete with besides yourself and I have found that to be liberating. Plus, you can zip along fast because your not chatting as much as you would if you had company.

good luck!

[Miranda]

What a good thread. I could have wrote the same post.

So far I have a combo of scheduling conflicts, to being a performance scardy cat to ride with anyone else. Both trail and road, I'm alone.

For injury on the trail (& I do have some first aid w/me), if I question that I can do it, I don't. I would rather ride than rehab.

Mechanical, I carry a multitool, but figure if worse, I could hike it out. I do now own and carry some form of light with me. I try to have the map, but bought a cheap compass as well.

RoadID has some folks in their company that I love. I just have a basic wrist ID after a near Jane Doe road kill one day at dusk. I own their FireFlys too and a new one I received broke when putting it together. No problem, they sent me a new one even before receiving the broken one, return postage paid envelop "at my convenience". My cell phone also has an ICE # (In Case of Emergency). Responders are trained to look for this.

OKAAAYY... it's the twin brothers of Charles Manson that worry me the most. On my road bike, I feel like I can pedal away faster from Chuck. On the single track... not so. One of my favorite places is SO isolated. Thus, it's beauty. The parking lot is not even visible from the main road. I always take note of any cars in the lot. Me, only vehicle with a bike rack on it, says yep, bike chick. I once road the trail another way back into the woods with this vibe that the Mason hiker was lurking by my parked vehicle.

This is still giving me a chill... last time I was there, I had this gutt feel to take my bike out onto the lake's pier. Normally, I leave it on the trail. My inner voice said, "Miranda, take the bike with you". I had NO idea that this guy hiked up behind me on the pier. The lake frogs were signing like crazy, he had on very quite tennis shoes, and around I turn to see this man two foot from me. Just standing still... staring... speechless. I politely said "hello", mounted my bike and road the he$$ out of there as fast as I could without killing myself.

One of my friends said I might take note of the license plates when I am out there (in an effort to ID the Manson family). I was alone in the lot that day when I started. Still just creeps me out.

[Miranda]

Having it is very empowering.

well, if you are licensed to carry you've been through all the training which would imply the confidence to know what to do....

In lieu of things I've encounter this summer (road too besides trail), I've seriously considered this. One of my friends said well, the weapon could potentially be used against you. I assume this is a common question while you are trained, and what to do. From what I know, it's a means of last resort. I think some people assume that if you are a person that carries a weapon, you are some risky fighting person. To me, tactic #1 would be use head, and get out if possible. People I know who are responsible weapon owners are those that really never want to have to use them. Options can be a really good thing. I think being in the situation first hand, one might be surprised at what you are capable of doing. If someone were going to take the life of my children, well, protecting them would be at any cost. The rest I would have to settle up when I met my maker.

[ima_bleeder]

Some of the coolest things I've seen out riding, I only got to see because I was alone. And usually at dusk or at night. A lot of deer, a coyote, more recently a bobcat. So I love riding alone!

But I always try to be prepared, and I ride very cautiously when I'm alone. There are no maps of the trails, so I always ride areas I'm very familiar with, and in a pinch I've got the GPS. I save the technical stuff for rides with friends (and I try to get out with friends whenever I can). I've always got a lot of water and some food, a multi-tool, tube, and pump. As the days start getting shorter, and I'm pushing daylight, I'll start riding with lights. (I should always keep a small emergency light in my pack, but haven't gotten around to replacing the old one). I should also carry some sort of first aid kit ... I'll have to get on that.

I try to be prepared, but I don't spend time worrying about what might happen. I'm most likely to encounter wildlife, and the wildlife doesn't let me get very close, so these encounters are always at a distance. And when I do run across other people they're typically bikers, and there's a decent chance now (after mountain biking in these woods for a few years) that I'll recognize somebody in the group. It's a small town.

And, I'm just not much of a worrier. I try to be prepared, but I'm not happy when I'm worrying. And I like to be a happy person.

[dirtygirl1]

I also ride alone most of the time but follow a lot of the simple rules that have already been posted

1. I never ride alone at night or at dusk. All of the dangers mentioned in this thread are more prevalent at night

2. I ride in familiar areas. If I am new to an area I'll ride there first with my DH or a group of girls ... after that, I am ok riding it alone

3. I always carry tools and know how to fix my bike

4. I ride in places that have traffic (other people ride/hike there). I like riding alone but i also like to know that civiliation is close by when i am alone. I used to ride at a spot where i'd ride for 6 hours without seeing another soul. This started to freak me out after a while -- it was one of the few mtb spots around in that area. We've moved since then and my new haunts are all popular - I prefer seeing a few like-minded souls out on their bikes in the woods!!!

5. I always tell my DH where I am going and when I will be home

6. I carry a cell phone, extra food, extra water, and a few essential First Aide supplies

7. If the spot i am riding in is isolated I will carry bear spray

I think that's it!

All the best - enjoy summer on the trails!!!

[han-grrl]

I always carry tools and know how to fix my bike

OMG i can't tell you how often i found women on trails with flats who have no pump, and no idea how to fix it. I find that frightening, because a walk out would take HOURS from where they were.

[limewave]

I'm bumping this up from years ago. It wasn't too long after I posted this question that I got pg which put a halt to my mountain biking.

I'm finally back! And have some big goals for myself on the trail this year. And if I have any hope at all in accomplishing them, I HAVE TO RIDE ALONE.

So, alone it must be. There's some great advice in here.

This Friday I will venture out for my first solo mntn bike ride. I'm nervous, but excited. I'll be able to go my own pace without stopping every 1/2 mile to a mile. I'm planning to ride the 12 mile loop, but I know a short-cut at 6 miles in case I'm feeling like I need to bail early for any reason.

Will be bringing:
Map
Bike tools (&pump)
ID
Whistle
Pepper Spray
Emergency Blanket
Extra food
Extra lightweight jacket
First Aid kit
Compass
GPS computer

I've done a lot of adventure racing and backpacking, I'm feeling more prepared now than I did a few years ago. I have a lot of packable gear and more experience being out alone in the woods.

Happy Trails!

[moonfroggy]

i almost always ride alone but there is very good cell phone reception where i ride and i have only seen a creepy guy once but have occasionally met nice guys (i have yet to see another women mountain biking on the trails i ride solo) also the days i ride are days my husband is working from home and able to watch my 2 year old ds. i wear a road id and my husband always knows where i am. the days i have seen no other mountain bikers i have always seen rangers doing work on the trails. not lots of rangers just one but i figure if something happens i will get found within a few hours and if i am able to use my cell phone to call for help then a lot sooner. i love riding alone i love being surrounded by forest and nature and having that solitude it is something i get so rarely as a stay at home mom to a 2 year old. when i ride in a group i always learn a lot and i have fun but it isn't really relaxing and i just don't enjoy it the way i enjoy riding solo.

[lph]

This thread passed me by last time, so i'll pipe up now. I ride 90 % alone, commuting, road and dirt road, but these are not isolated areas and I have cell phone coverage everywhere. If I endo'ed and was knocked unconscious it would be a rare evening that someone wouldn't pass me in the course of 30 minutes. I carry some mechy stuff, money and bus pass if I'm riding somewhere more than an hours walk or so home.

But I was curious as to how several of you mention "creepy guys". What makes them creepy? This may be a very safe area (or country even) compared to many of you, or maybe I'm just blind to creepiness but I've almost never met anyone I felt threatening in the woods. Now that guy on the pier that Miranda (?) described - that was def creepy behaviour!

[zoom-zoom]

LW, something my hubby and I have noticed around here is that even when we don't get a good cel signal for making a phone call, texts seem to go through just fine. I think I know where you are planning your ride (it's one of DH's favorite places to ride and I always get nervous when he goes it alone, too). I can ask him how his phone works out there.

[moonfroggy]

the one time i saw a "creepy" guy when i was in a trail he was wearing a black ski mask like a ninja and yelling things and i couldn't make out what it was he was yelling. he seemed creepy. i wasn't that afraid of him but i was a bit startled and i was glad that he rode by really fast and i didn't have to be around him for more than a few minutes. normally everyone i see seems really nice though.