Who rides alone ?

Chriso_29er

Chriso_29er

Likes Dirt
slowmick said:
I ride by myself when I have a goal in mind. Riding with my mates is a social occasion and ride times can be double that of solo efforts.
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Don't get me wrong I love a good social, but yeah the extra time it takes. Means most of my rides are solo simply because I'm too time poor and its hard to get a group together at 6:30-7:00am.
Love a good 3hr solo at stupid o'clock in the morning and back home in time for a late breaky.

Weekend socials end up taking an entire afternoon at minimum.
 
Dangals

Dangals

Squid
Having only recently gotten back into riding after a near 20 year break I have yet to meet others in my area that I can ride with so always ride solo at the moment. Been working into things whilst getting my skills back up but definitely do not push my boundaries too much as I am conscious of coming off big time.

I agree with others though that riding solo is great for the mental space, I used to do it when I was younger and it was a great way to clear the mind and is one of the big reasons I got back into it. That and I miss the feeling of ripping up some good trails.
 
M

Mr Adonis

Likes Bikes
I ride solo all the time now.
Been 50, and with 2 young kids, Sunday is the only day where there is nothing going on - no work, kids sports, so its family time time. Im up at 5.30, back by 9.30 latest.
If on the MTB, I would have done a good 60km ride - road bike around 100km.
All my mates now cant be bothered doing any sport, and the ones that say yes, then cancel last minute, dont bother asking any more.
The group i used to go with was just interested in DH, where as me, more into XC and long km's.
 
Isaakk

Isaakk

Likes Dirt
I ride solo maybe 80% of the time, I find that I don't really get the exercise or "head clearing" on group/friend/family rides as it usually results in riding at about 1/2 pace & taking much longer.

I have had one or two big offs on solo rides, worst was March last year where I bent 3 fingers far past where they should bend, dislocating 3 knuckles and breaking a finger. 8km out from car, ended up somehow relocating them after sitting for 5-10mins debating what to do & then walked/coasted out to the car to cart myself off to the ER. Doc said that if I hadn't have put em back in myself, would have had permanent ligament damage.. even now still causes me issues on longer/rougher rides but has mostly come right.
 
Mr Crudley

Mr Crudley

Eats Squid
Isaakk said:
Doc said that if I hadn't have put em back in myself, would have had permanent ligament damage.. even now still causes me issues on longer/rougher rides but has mostly come right.
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I did the same but to only one finger. I popped it back into place and was still buzzing on adrenaline so nothing hurt. I saw the doctor 2 weeks later ... Oops..and was commended on doing it properly. That wasn't a solo ride either.

I can remember a few group rides where after an off and you are deemed Ok then the cameras come out to capture your misery forever.
 
gippyz

gippyz

Likes Dirt
Daniel Hale said:
early entry for comment of the year

how many ride solo with a dog? mine loves it..if i did get injured badly she is the kind of dog who would stay by your side..[kelpie]

our first dog, beagle - who have been all seeulater , yours bones r broke, can’t move...i’m outta here
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I do a solo with my dog once a week. He absolutely loved it. Only problem is he chases wallabies when he sees one. Very worried with snakes these days as they're out and about and my pooch will go investigate.
 
Scotty T

Scotty T

Likes Dirt
Last year, I did one solo ride. This year I have done none and won't unless nobody else can make it, I have a pretty broad local group now so generally at least one person is down, compact Canberra is very good for this. Used to ride 90% solo. I get the whole head clearing thing but it happens for me if I'm solo or not, as soon as I start moving I'm in the happy place.

It's just awesome to watch my buddies progress, and myself as I ride with people as good or better than me. No way I would have smashed the shit out of any of the tougher tracks I've progressed on while by myself. The one serious stack I had in the past 5 years wasn't my fault, but the potential for bad injuries on those tracks was real so it's always easier to take a risk with someone else there. My fucking wedding ring still doesn't fit!

Also, you need someone there to ask if the bike is OK...
 
gippyz

gippyz

Likes Dirt
Scotty T said:
Last year, I did one solo ride. This year I have done none and won't unless nobody else can make it, I have a pretty broad local group now so generally at least one person is down, compact Canberra is very good for this. Used to ride 90% solo. I get the whole head clearing thing but it happens for me if I'm solo or not, as soon as I start moving I'm in the happy place.

It's just awesome to watch my buddies progress, and myself as I ride with people as good or better than me. No way I would have smashed the shit out of any of the tougher tracks I've progressed on while by myself. The one serious stack I had in the past 5 years wasn't my fault, but the potential for bad injuries on those tracks was real so it's always easier to take a risk with someone else there. My fucking wedding ring still doesn't fit!

Also, you need someone there to ask if the bike is OK...
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One aspect of riding in group that I like is the opportunity to spur each other to do hard stuff. I must admit I’m forever indebted to one guy in the group as without him, I would’ve either taken a bad line and crashed badly or just plain won’t do it as it’s too scary.

Just a shame that he focuses more on racing and going fast these days rather than just having fun. That indirectly changes the mood and focus of the group.
 
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