downtube42

Close group riding and solo riding are two very different experiences. Almost to the point of being different sports.

Not only do I do casual rides solo, I've ridden a ton of randonneuring miles solo. I'll regularly ride a 200k solo, and even on longer brevets up to 1200k, with plenty of people to ride with, I might ride solo for over half. I have friends, OTOH, who won't voluntarily ride a single mile solo; they'll pull over and wait for the next group, if they get dropped.

At the same time, some of my most fun and memorable experiences have been Fleche rides - that's 24 hours riding together with a 5-bike team. That might be multiple hours of fairly close drafting into a headwind, hours of slightly spaced riding, and hours of loosely clustered chatty riding.

I did a 1000k ride last year, and rode roughly 1/3 the distance solo, 1/3 the distance in a group of 5-8, and 1/3 the distance with one other rider. Those were very different miles, and I enjoyed them all.

big john

About the tee shirts?

TejanoTrackie 

Now that I've retired from racing, I have no reason to ride in a group for training. Occasionally, I'll go on a short ride with my neighbor, mostly to socialize, but basically I just ride alone. I don't want to chit chat when I'm riding, I just want to ride. Just me, the bike and nature.

Random11

I almost always ride solo. I can go when I'm ready, rather than meet a schedule.

OldTryGuy

Another solo ride out @ 12:51AM under a cloudy sky for 25.52 miles with temperature feeling like 91℉ thanks to actual air temp of 83℉ with 83% humidity.

https://www.strava.com/activities/9280250028

Jtmav

As a former runner I always ran alone. Would drive into Boston every weekday and run before work, always alone and truth be told, I loved the alone time since the remaining day was filled with anything but. That was long ago and I have only been riding since the pandemic. Like many here I am an early riser and love to ride in the morning. I have been retired now for seven years so I don’t have a schedule and most of my rides are mid morning and almost always alone. I do like the time without distractions and just enjoy the ride, easy to stay present. Back in the day I would train for road races, hill work or intervals but now I’m just grateful to enjoy the ride.

staehpj1

Yeah, here in Tallahassee I got out at 5 AM this morning and according to my little weather station it was 73 F, 92% humidity, and "feels like" 81 F. The "feels like" went up pretty fast after I got home, but it was nice enough while out riding at that time. I wouldn't mind a little cooler, but that is about the best I can hope for here this time of year. Since I am an early riser by nature it works out pretty well.

CAT7RDR

I've looked into group rides in my area but they are 10+ miles away and I no longer drive to ride.
I also have morning responsibilities that prevent me from being at a group ride for the standard 0800 start times.
So, all my rides now are solo and that works for me.

Not to be too picky, but I have reviewed the routes of my local groups and I can do better right outside my garage door.
Why travel to ride lousy routes?

staehpj1

It could be worth it if you want to ride with others, but otherwise no. You always have the option of joining one of those rides once in a while if you change your mind.

Me, I have the deer, rabbits, raccoons, bobcats, birds, and so on to keep me company on my trail rides. I think if I were more into road riding again, I'd do group rides once in a while.

Clyde1820

That's essentially how I've done it since back in my running days. Always have been an early riser, and almost nobody that I know likes heading out in the hour or two prior to sunrise. These days, I'm typically working out by 5am, though I'm occasionally cycling by then. Back in the day, I often did 7-10mi runs at that time of day, to both avoid the traffic and enjoy the nicer temperatures.

I don't mind riding with a couple of others. But as I don't have the leg power (due to old injuries) to scoot along at a brisk pace, I'm okay with groups/packs heading off at their own lofty pace and leaving me to trudge along. Would like company, now and then, but I'm okay with avoiding the messy arrogance that can come with certain kitted-out "racer" types who imagine any group ride is a peloton to the finish line. Being a geezer, these days, that ain't my thing. I'm good okay with that.

Wildwood 

I ride with Traffic --- so, there's usually Molly, Freddy Frolic, Aunty Franny & Uncle Lou.
We were children once, playing with toys....



.....in my ears....

sometimes I ride with early Allmans to jam&cruise or ZZ for a good cadence.
Pink Floyd for a flying


Clear your handlebars and your mind may follow

curbtender

No problem riding alone but enjoy being out with the friends. What I do enjoy about riding alone is not having time constraints.

Champlaincycler

I ride solo out of necessity, there's no one else to ride with. There was a small group of 3-4 that would get together on Sat morning during warm months but its lost its legs ,pun intended. A shame because riding with others makes me better and its fun. Now I tend to ride inside a lot and go out on the roads only on nice days. A little rain, some clouds or too much wind and I'm in the barn cycling. 20-40 miles on Rouvy trying to stay ahead of someone or catch up to others is a better workout for me and I get to do it most anywhere in the world. I'm kinda/sorta riding with others,just don't know who they are. Probably just one more phase I'm going through but who knows.

fixitsteve

I usually ride alone. I'm retired so follow my schedule. Up the driveway, up the street till I get on top of all the hills. Casually ride around for a while, then back down into the valley home. Sometimes I hook up with my nephew and we ride on one of the local bike trails. Never have ridden on a group ride. Sounds to complicated.

Long deKlein

Pretty much always been a solo rider, other than a few rides with my junior high basketball coach (jeez, 50+ years ago--yikes!), also a dedicated cyclist who got me into road biking. This is my favorite time of year, the long days mean I can get out first thing in the AM, before there's wind and traffic. (I don't ride in the dark or the rain anymore.)

Harhir

I do occasionally join social rides such as critical mass, local taco ride or brewery tour ride.
But I do not do any fast pace group rides. I don't even have a road bike. Never had one and don't intend to get one. I try to live as car free as possible and my bikes are primarily transportation vehicles.

I mostly ride alone because:
- I commute to work and often extend the trips to and from work. No fixed schedule. No ahead planning. Hard to fit in someone else.
- I try to stick to paved trails or neighborhood roads and the trails are not suited for group rides. Too narrow and curvy to ride with a larger faster group.
- Most of my rides lead to a destination. Work, grocery store, restaurant, brewery, bike store, home improvement store, doctors office, ... I plan my tours based on destination. Often with a scenic "detour" to get some extra miles. Meaning I don't really ride just just for the purpose of riding.
- I often do photo stops along my routes. That does not really work with group rides either.
- This is my "Me-time" during the day.

Jughed

I'm a loner by nature. I enjoy quiet, time in my own head, being on my own schedule. I'm a manager at work - people people people all day, I have a house full of kids and dogs... the bike gives me a chance to check out and think...

I get off work at 3:00 and hit the trail on the way home, then go home and have dinner with the family. The local group rides typically don't start until after I am finished my ride... right in the peak of rush hour, and I wouldn't get home until after 8:00 at night.

And I like to pick and choose when/where I ride. I only ride the roads when traffic is minimal. Very early weekend mornings, or pre rush hour. The group rides hit the local roads smack in the middle of rush hour.

And finding the group with the right pace is difficult. Our B groups are no drop rides, and many times C riders show up and the pace drops to a crawl. Our A group has a listed speed range - but no limit. We will get 300+w monsters show up and flat blow the paceline up.

freeranger

Riding when you want, where you want, at the pace you want, stopping for a drink, energy bar, viewing scenery, etc. when you want, not needing to put up with waiting for other riders to arrive or last minute cancellations or sign ups. What's not to like!? Do enjoy riding with others (sometimes), but find solo to be more "convenient".

staehpj1

I will add that I don't miss having someone to ride with for trail riding, but on the road it is nice to ride with someone with a similar pace to share drafting. Barring that someone a little stronger or weaker and the stronger rider leading and the weaker drafting. Even on tours I find that drafting is the order of the day when riding with a partner or group. Not a big deal since my road bike is pretty dusty. Hills make different abilities harder to equalize and may require the stronger climber to wait on the weaker. Especially at my age I am likely to be the weaker climber since I'd be likely to be with much younger companions. I still hold my own on rolling stuff, but the long climbs never really were my strong point so at 72 the youger riders can really kick my butt.

EJM73

I ride alone 100% of the time. I do talk to other riders during a break at the park or a short period on a bike trial.

roadcrankr

In my 30's & 40"s, my rides almost always involved fast group rides. It resulted in high mph averages!
I found the speed exhilarating. Plus, condensing mileage in shorter timeframes worked with my busy schedule.
When I began solo commuting 24 miles to work a few times a week, it blended my cycling nicely and enjoyed both modes.
Upon retiring a few years back, my group rides dwindled almost weekly. Every ride over the past six months is now solo.
Like others, it works great to go out when it suits me. Planning a hilly sucker this morning, right after I hit the 'post' button!

indyfabz

I used to enjoy group rides more. In my club, the art of riding in a group is often lost, at least on faster rides. Too many people ride at paces that suit them instead of sticking with the group.

When on tour, I much prefer to hit the road alone for up to two weeks. It's my escape from constant interaction with people. BITD I spent 3 months riding across the U.S> with 12 strangers. I would never do that again. At the end of the tour, I was so happy to get away from them and ride home solo.

PeteHski

I mostly ride alone, but I do actually enjoy group rides more. The trouble is that our local group rides are always ridiculously early in the morning. I prefer riding after a leisurely breakfast or later in the day.

GhostRider62

I don't mind a group ride if they riders know what they are doing and don't start with their politics but both conditions are quite rare. Most of my riding has a purpose that is inconsistent with a group ride, so, group rides are a handful a year for me.

staehpj1

I'll just add that one of the reasons I went back to trail riding as my daily exercise was that my dog, who was the best trail buddy ever, got too old to run, even with a broken down old guy like me. Trail running with a good dog was a perfect fit for me. Daily trail riding alone is a reasonable substitute, but, I'd give it up in a heartbeat if I could have my old pooch running with me.