Riding alone all the time.
07-09-23, 09:45 AM
#76
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Put me down for solo. At 75, riding is more zen than anything. Also, with my hearing loss, I would never be able to keep up with conversations on group rides, even wearing HAs.
07-09-23, 01:58 PM
#77
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I ride alone…yeahhh, all by myself. When I ride alone I prefer to be by myself.
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07-10-23, 09:30 AM
#78
Junior Member
Except for a yearly group event or two, I always ride alone.
After getting hit by a car in Nov. ‘21 (I got hurt pretty bad but, although I don’t remember it, I was aware enough to tell the police/EMS my wife’s name and number so she would know what happened and what hospital I was going to), I always wear a RoadID with my wife as the emergency contact in case I get injured and am too hurt to answer questions.
After getting hit by a car in Nov. ‘21 (I got hurt pretty bad but, although I don’t remember it, I was aware enough to tell the police/EMS my wife’s name and number so she would know what happened and what hospital I was going to), I always wear a RoadID with my wife as the emergency contact in case I get injured and am too hurt to answer questions.
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07-10-23, 11:50 AM
#79
Banned
I enjoy having quiet time and am comfortable with my company but I know that many people cannot be happy in solitude and need the distraction of interaction with others. I see 20 more more motorcyclists going down the highway and cannot understand what they get by going in this fashion where so much of their attention needs to be focused on the other riders to avoid and accident and they are not free to enjoy the open road.
Group bike rides can in theory be safer as they are much more obvious to motorists and so car and bike collisions may be less likely. So much depends on the mental state and attitude of the motorist and many think that the road belongs for use exclusively by people with cars so no guarantees.
Group bike rides can in theory be safer as they are much more obvious to motorists and so car and bike collisions may be less likely. So much depends on the mental state and attitude of the motorist and many think that the road belongs for use exclusively by people with cars so no guarantees.
07-13-23, 04:43 PM
#80
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ride solo just approx 1/3 of the time
even when I start a ride alone I will sometimes hook up with other riders
one ride last month began alone - but then hooked up with a group of four - rode with the group of four until two peeled off in a different direction - then peeled off from the remaining two riders because I had reached my halfway point and turned back - then on the way back hooked up with two riders and rode part way with them before returning to my origin
back in the 90’s when I just got into (discovered) bike riding I also did solo rides approx 1/3 of the time or less
group off road rides were Tuesday and Wednesday evenings - rides started at 6 pm sharp
group road rides were Saturday mornings (often an urban mix ride) and Sunday afternoons (longer rural rides) ... with an occasional weekday frantic / fast ride and / or climbing ride ... weekday or weekend easy ride with significant others and wives ... etc
best days of my life - met friends that continue to be close today ... also met my (future) wife
some of the older riders are unfortunately no longer here
many of the road group now ride off road only
even when I start a ride alone I will sometimes hook up with other riders
one ride last month began alone - but then hooked up with a group of four - rode with the group of four until two peeled off in a different direction - then peeled off from the remaining two riders because I had reached my halfway point and turned back - then on the way back hooked up with two riders and rode part way with them before returning to my origin
back in the 90’s when I just got into (discovered) bike riding I also did solo rides approx 1/3 of the time or less
group off road rides were Tuesday and Wednesday evenings - rides started at 6 pm sharp
group road rides were Saturday mornings (often an urban mix ride) and Sunday afternoons (longer rural rides) ... with an occasional weekday frantic / fast ride and / or climbing ride ... weekday or weekend easy ride with significant others and wives ... etc
best days of my life - met friends that continue to be close today ... also met my (future) wife
some of the older riders are unfortunately no longer here
many of the road group now ride off road only
Last edited by t2p; 07-13-23 at 07:35 PM.
07-13-23, 05:00 PM
#81
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My riding partner of previous years is working on a major project and basically stopped riding. I enjoy riding alone and would occasionally get impatient with his riding habits and tendency to stop, take pictures, and engage in conversation with some bystander. But he motivated me to ride and I miss that. Have to push myself some days to get out the door.
Oh, re: The Sundance Kid. It's Crook County, not Cook and that picture doesn't look anything like him.
Oh, re: The Sundance Kid. It's Crook County, not Cook and that picture doesn't look anything like him.
07-13-23, 05:01 PM
#82
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I ride alone 100% of the time. I have only rode with a group a few times. I used to live an hour and a half north of here. My route crossed with a club ride at a place everyone has to stop they invited me to ride with them for the 3.5 miles our route ran together 10-20 bikers kitted out on modern road bikes and Grizzly Adams in cargo shorts and a tee shirt on a vintage steel road bike in the back half of the pack. Not really my thing. I tend to ride at a speed on the local trails that around half of the riders are slower than me and half are faster having someone to ride with once in a while would be nice
I did a number of road rides with cargo shorts and t shirt back in the day - drove some of the diehard roadies nuts lol
still do rides in cargo shorts ... bike cargo shorts .. etc
was an off road motorcyclist - began off road (bicycle) riding - and then got into road (bicycle) riding
had lightweight nylon cargo shorts that were actually swim trunks I gutted and wore over bike shorts ; initially used the double shorts for off road riding at a time when there were no dedicated off road shorts (now they are common) and continued to use them on the road
this is how I got the nickname ‘t2p’ - tommy two pants
also used and still use full gloves - but no nickname for the gloves
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07-26-23, 04:18 PM
#83
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I wish I were good in groups, but I've never had the patience. I certainly respect and admire those who do. I wake weird hours and ride spontaneously, plus I ride a cruiser, doesn't exactly fit in. So I ride alone most of the time.
07-26-23, 06:42 PM
#84
Newbie
I know this has been discussed but I am bring it up just to see if anyone else is in my shoes. I am retired and my routine is to get up very early in the morning. I am morning person and staying up late does not work for me. I generally go out and ride early myself going between 30-75 miles pretty much daily if weather allows. My reasoning is around here the wind is usually the calmest in the early morning and much less traffic. I go out before sunrise a lot have a good like and with a good light hopefully easy to see at night.
So I could try and hook up with friends and group rides but I just don't. I don't mind being out myself and it allows total freedom but the price is that sometimes company is good and certainly you can move faster in a group ride. To me it is just way to much of a change if I wait till the group rides that happen usually later in the day. There is a retired group that goes out of a few cycliist I could hook up with but the pace would be a bit slower than I got, although I am not some super cyclist. I go along from 16-19mph here in the flatlands.
So the moral of the story is this works and I am ok with it. Anyone else find the group rides are not really necessary and prefer the lone ranger approach?
So I could try and hook up with friends and group rides but I just don't. I don't mind being out myself and it allows total freedom but the price is that sometimes company is good and certainly you can move faster in a group ride. To me it is just way to much of a change if I wait till the group rides that happen usually later in the day. There is a retired group that goes out of a few cycliist I could hook up with but the pace would be a bit slower than I got, although I am not some super cyclist. I go along from 16-19mph here in the flatlands.
So the moral of the story is this works and I am ok with it. Anyone else find the group rides are not really necessary and prefer the lone ranger approach?
BTW 30-70 miles/day is Kick A$$! Nice job! Weather is horrible here this summer, but normally I do 100 to 150 a week and about 2500 miles during the summer. Will not hit that this year.
08-03-23, 02:04 PM
#85
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Riding requires my full attention and I enjoy the focus. I'm not looking for conversation. On occasion I've come out of a zen-like state and, for a moment, not know were I am on the route (I don't think it's neurological 
And, I love catching that rare tailwind where you're in a bubble and it's so quiet you can hear bugs fart. Riding solo frees my mind from everything else in my life for a few hours.
And, I love catching that rare tailwind where you're in a bubble and it's so quiet you can hear bugs fart. Riding solo frees my mind from everything else in my life for a few hours.
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