Do you mountain bike alone?

[zoom-zoom]

Hey, I just talked to my hubby...he said texting from out there shouldn't be a problem. He also is thinking about biking out there on Fri., too (one advantage of the economy is that his company shuts down every-other Fri.). If you wanted some company I'm sure he'd be happy to meet you at the trailhead.

[limewave]

Zoom-Zoom: I am planning on doing my mountain biking alone on Friday. I would imagine there will be a few riders that take Friday off or are forced to take Friday off because of the economy. That's probably my best day to have some traffic through there. Although, they will be closed after May.

Not sure what I'll do then. The trail I really want to ride can be very remote. But I'd rather do that than hit the trails in GR that are a super-highway. I want some wide-open trails so that I can get good training in for Ore 2 Shore and Iceman.

[katherine]

I'm noticing a trend of mothers with small children who bike alone. It's too bad we all don't live closer to each other as then we would have someone to trade childcare with and someone to bike with! That being said I bike alone all the time, my partner worries about me more than I worry. I am prepared and carry tools, snacks, H2O, cell phone, a warmer layer. I bike wherever I feel like biking, we have a beautiful network of trails half a mile behind our house. The upside is even if I end up on a new trail (which is always super-technical) I can head down and return home. Our trails also tend to be busy so I (foolheartedly?) assume that I would be found within a reasonable amount of time. On that note I am more worried about bears and mountain lions than scary men. Odds are, around here, you will be attacked by a bear first.
In my humble opinion fear is a crappy reason not to do something.

[crazycanuck]

Well..if you mtn bike in Western Australia the biggest things you'd have to deal with would be:
Kangaroos
Snakes
Pea Gravel (only danger there is if you have anymore than 25psi in both tires..say goodbye to any traction!!!)

Limewave-I train on my own for big mtn bike events!

[gnat23]

Another good tip: just before you leave, let someone know where you'll be and what time to reasonably expect you back.

-- gnat!

[Aggie_Ama]

I do not mountain bike alone mostly because I am a clumsy fool and prone to slow-mo falls. Once of twice we have gone to the local beginner to intermediate trail and beat DH there so he catches up. The trail is very well traveled so I guess if I wrecked bad someone would be along at sometime. I know how to change a flat and other basic fixes. Plus as I found when I broke my seat post, it doesn't take that long to walk out of the trail.

[tzvia]

My very first mtb ride was alone, on a trail I had never been to, on a brand new bike I had never ridden on clipless pedals I had never used.

Talk about being nervous.

Those first few pedal strokes in the dirt, back in '96 on Chesboro trail in Agoura were the hardest I ever took. I had no idea how it would feel or if I would fall in the sand or what would happen if I hit a rock or root. I did not carry enough water but I did have some tools and a spare tire and pump. I wanted to scream on the first little downhill (wasn't so little then )

Loved every moment- Went back over and over on my days off till I could ride all the way to the very back of trail. Got a Camelback for more water, and learned about how to make a splint from small branches and shirt tails .

Flash forward 14 years. I still ride alone a lot of the time as my schedule is not the same as any one else. I've gone on vacations alone and rode trails in places I've never been (now with the help of a Garmin on the handlebar.) I like the prep; taking the time to make sure the bike and the stuff I take is all good as I don't want to walk out (did once, due to injury, walked/coasted to trailhead.)

I've crashed, had rattlesnakes swipe at me and frogs leap about my tires. Been stared down by a coyote. Had to take shelter from 102f heat to collect myself. Seen a Mountain Lion. Sometimes, things happen when you are alone because you are not with a noisy group. Sometimes, the peace is truly golden.

[katherine]

Sometimes, things happen when you are alone because you are not with a noisy group.

I saw a group of mommy elk with their babies this past weekend, awwwwwwww.

[Skierchickie]

I'm loving this thread. Especially the creepy yelling guy in the ski mask!

So, I still ride alone most of the time, and still don't think to carry a cell phone. And don't even know how to text. And, as far as telling someone where I'll be and when I'll be back, well, ..... the last time I made a point to tell DH where I was going, he looked up, said "Huh? Why are you telling me this?" and went back to what he was doing. Apparently he a) trusts me to take care of myself, and b) can't imagine that anything might go so terribly awry that he'd have to come and find me.

I was, however, riding with someone last July when I broke my ankle - fortunately she knew the trails we were on, because I did not. I'm still not thinking to carry my phone, even after that. Probably because the chances of having service are pretty slim. I'm pretty sure that I'd be spending the night in the woods tonight if I'd had trouble - unlikely that anyone would have happened upon me (it's April - just not that many people riding yet, even though the snow is mostly gone).

[Melissa71]

But I was curious as to how several of you mention "creepy guys". What makes them creepy?

I ride alone on biking trails all the time. I don't have any trail buddies, yet, and my husband doesn't enjoy riding like I do. What makes a guy "creepy" to me (and unfortunately I've been running into a few of them lately) is that they look completely out of place. Not like a casual stroller,biker, jogger or nature observer. It's hard to explain, it's more of a feeling or intuition than anything concrete. Usually it's in a remote location where there is no one around. That might make someone who normally wouldn't make me feel threatened, seem more sinister.

[Voodoo Sally]

Yes, I mountain bike alone.

[Aggie_Ama]

One day while riding alone my husband saw a group of ninjas. No I am not kidding, they must have been role playing or UT film students (they were recording). I was riding at the same trail but I missed them, darn. Weirdest thing I have seen alone is someone riding a unicycle on the trail.

[pinkbikes]

Yep - I ride alone on the road and the trails. I like my own company and am happy to ride alone. I find I probably ride harder when I do than when I ride with friends since I don't spend so much time chatting! And since I am not noted for my hill climbing talents, I enjoy going out for long hill climbs by myself so I am not pressured to ride to somebody else's rhythm or feel I'm holding anybody up. And I feel safer doing a long firetrail hill climb rather than hitting up single track by myself (which is not say I don't do that now and again too).

I don't think I've ever really felt afraid due to "creepies" although there are always plenty of idiots who will heckle given a chance! I sometimes ride on the road at night - DH and I often tag team if we go to friends or family for dinner. He will ride there and I will ride home. And I have also been known to ride in the forest by myself at night. That is just a little spooky sometimes but always so beautifully peaceful. When I ride dirt at night alone I am pretty much confined to trails I am 100% confident with. Our local forest is only about a mile away on bikeway.

I have really fantastic lights (Ay-Ups on the front and helmet, and RoadID Supernova blinky on the rear) and I always carry a toolkit, spares, pump, CO2, a compact first aid kit and foil blanket, a compass, whistle, snack, pen and paper, RoadID and my mobile phone. Oh - and I have my Garmin which some enterprising local has produced trail maps for, so I can always work out where I am. And DH usually knows where I'm going.

We don't have too much in the way of wildlife I would be afraid of, although DH got bitten by a spider one night and we do get ticks now and again. The closest call I had was almost colliding with an owl one night. I wasn't sure what was sitting on the trail until I got quite close, and when it took off it nearly flew straight through me and the bike! Not sure who got the bigger fright.

Oh - and we have toads. Big slimey cane toads! On summer nights when the weather has been damp there are hundreds and thousands of the blighters on the trails. You can ride right up to them and just about over the top of them before the deign to get out of the way. I am quite terrified I will run over one by accident, slip on it and fall, coming face to face with the horrid gnarly thing! Actually, a couple of times I have been riding along and one has jumped as I rode toward it and has collided with my shin and then been flung through the air as I kept pedalling. YUUUUUUUCCKKKKK!!!!

[jessmarimba]

I'm going to revive this one, since it's been interesting reading today.

I almost always ride alone. And by almost always, I mean I've ridden with another person maybe 3 times, ever (but the last time I taught my sister how to mountain bike!). I'm more afraid of getting lost than getting hurt since I sometimes ride trails in places I've never been with maps that tend to suck, but I'll admit to walking some VERY easy trail sections in Telluride simply because there was a 75-foot drop beside the trail and no phone service. And no one knew or cared where I was.

I will also admit that after reading this thread and thinking about it, I'm probably holding myself back by riding alone because I'm not with someone who has expectations to live up to (or not) and I will walk things that I might try under pressure.

On the other hand, I absolutely HATE running by myself. Kind of weird.

[surgtech1956]

I ride alone most of the time, but its on a well used walking and riding trail - unfortunately its only 4 miles long, but its a mile from my house. I also carry 'mace' with me.