Drew Eckhardt 

I went on one this year and might have ridden with co-workers once in 2014.

The speed is never right on a group ride. On my last one I had to wait 12 minutes for the stragglers after the first 30 minute climb in spite of taking it easy. Following three rest breaks we got back to flat ground and I had to stay glued to some guy's wheel and dude butt is not the sort of scenery I want to look at riding.

nastystang

Exactly the same reasons for me. Very rarely ride with others. Its my away time from all the noise of life and I want to be the only variable in my rides.

bbattle

Most of my rides are solo ones. But when I'm in a group, we're not in a tight paceline hanging on for dear life; it's a social ride at a conversational pace.

Riding is my time to unwind, think out loud, enjoy nature, explore the countryside, get some exercise. I'm not afraid of group rides but most of their routes I've been over many times and I like to take "the road less traveled" just to see where it goes.

bt

my ride partner...

bbattle

On many of the "group" rides I've done, the riders splinter into a number of groups so I may end up riding with just 2-3 other riders. We talk about everything. Of course, we always say how slow we are, how we aren't doing too well today, or that today's ride is just a recovery from yesterday. Whatever. We still attack the hills, accelerate through the corners and blast down the descents just like the Cat 1 wannabes, even though we will never be that fast.

And I listen to Bluegrass to Heavy Metal, but there is no folk music in my collection.

Last week, I had the entire soundtrack to "Quadraphenia" going through my head.

"I'm wet and I'm cold, but thank God I ain't old."

Dan333SP

"I am a rock"

kbarch

I don't ride with groups as much as I'd like to, because most of my rides are catch as catch can. 2-3 mornings (sometimes 4) during the week, and weekends whenever. Moved out of the city and no longer belong to the big bike club because their rides invariably start too far away.
Sometimes it's nice to chat with folks on a group ride, but that's not why I like them. I actually like it when talking isn't necessary, but then I also like to have folks to chat and hang out with when stopping for refreshments along the way.
I'm a much more conscientious rider in a group. When I'm by myself, I tend to be fairly aimless.

Ravenwing

Other than the occasional bike tourist passing through, I have seen a total of one other cyclist while I've been out riding around here......and I'm not sure, he may have been a dehydration hallucination, even though we said 'hi' as we met. Actually I saw him on two different days, I think he's real. So yeah, I'm solo. Pretty much my style anyway. I hike solo as well, and try to find trails where I don't see anyone else all day.

TheLibrarian

Yea, I just dont really like people.

ingo

I bought a Garmin a few years ago, it says I have been on over 350 rides. Every one of them solo, it has been more than ten years since I rode in a group. I live out in the countryside, and don't like packing up to drive to a starting point. On the other hand, when I was racing or did training rides from the office with coworkers who were quite dedicated, I did 80% of my daily rides in a group. Cycling is my favourite pastime, and socializing does not factor in the decision to ride.

DaveLeeNC

I have ridden around 3500 miles since May 1. And one ride of 40 miles is the only thing that wasn't solo. Mostly I want to ride when I want to ride (and where and how far). And I have never been a social person anyway.

dave

DrIsotope

I ride solo 5-6 days a week, and ride with my wife on either Saturday or Sunday, whichever day is her preference. I desire no groups, clubs, or other nonsense to trifle with. Because as we all know, cycling-related or otherwise,

halfspeed

No reason it should be that way. If you want a hard workout on a group ride, find a faster group.

Doug28450

rebel

halfspeed

The danger is overblown and somewhat mitigated by the fact that if you do go down you've almost certainly got someone with a phone right there and there's a pretty good chance there's a physician in the group as well.

I've never been injured in a group. Solo? Oh yeah.

halfspeed

Lots of chit-chat during warm-up on the way out of town or at the coffee shop apres velo.

Doug28450

I HATE PEOPLE

From "Scrooge"

(Leslie Bricusse)

Scavengers and sycophants and flatterersand fools
Pharisees and parasites and hypocritesand ghouls
Calculating swindlers, prevaricating frauds
Perpetrating evil as they roam the earthin hordes
Feeding on their fellow men
Reaping rich rewardsContaminating everything they see
Corrupting honest me like me
Humbug!
Poppycock!
Balderdash!
Bah!I hate people!
I hate people!
People are despicable creatures
Loathesome inexplicable creatures
Good-for-nothing kickable creatures
I hate people!
I abhor them
!When I see the indolent classes
Sitting on their indolent asses
Gulping ale from indolent glasses
I hate people!
I detest them!
I deplore them!
Fools who have no money spend it
Get in debt then try to end it
Beg me on their knees befriend them
Knowing I have cash to lend them
Soft-hearted me!
Hard-working me!
Clean-living, thrifty and kind as can be!
Situations like this are of interest to me
I hate people!
I loathe people!
I despise and abominate people!
Life is full of cretinous wretches
Earning what their sweatiness fetches
Empty minds whose pettiness stretches
Further than I can see
Little wonder
I hate people
And I don't care if they hate me!

02Giant 

X2...Usually as I am finishing my ride, the masses are becoming a nuisance.
I prefer to ride by my self. I start early, I end early, and if I change my mind where I am going, I don't have to discuss it with anyone else.

Frreed

I live in suburban Dallas. Traffic is hideous all day every day. The majority of my miles are on a MUT so I never ride alone, but my trainig rides are mostly solo. Occasionally I ride with a friend who lives further out and has access to great county roads. Even those rides feel pretty much like solo training. We talk some, but mostly just enjoy the quiet and the effort.

I enjoy "charity" rides and like week long supported tours. On those occasions the group is a lot of fun and improve my riding overall. Training though, is solo and I like it that way.

02Giant 

That is one lean machine...

Stucky

I ride alone 100% of the time. Last time I rode a bike in the company of someone else, I think I was 12 years old.

Then again....I do everything alone.....including installing a new liner in my 27' above ground pool (It turned out perfect!)

MakiNn

I ride solo, I try to get out 5-6 times a week, I agree with a lot of people on here I want to pick my route and pick when and where I stop and when I want to head home. I will start to do some group riding starting next week to get ready for next season to start racing.

bt

I like to leave the house without a plan and go where ever the moment takes me.

Seattle Forrest

I have a "riding partner" too but she doesn't do bikes.

halfspeed

If she/he sees that post, she/he won't be doing you either.