I wrote yesterday about missing my bike. I haven’t been riding much since the bike rally. This year there was no Gran Fondo, no Three Port Tour. Instead, August was about boats not bikes though one day Sarah and I managed to combine the two. That might have been my last ride on my road bike of any distance and it was more than a month ago.
While there isn’t snow on the ground. Weird.
Since then though I’ve been faced with the challenge of riding alone and in the face of that challenge mostly not riding.
In the past Tracy had loved doing things alone. Not me.
I work alone most of the time and I like to combine socializing with fitness activities. When I’m feeling more competitive I like to work out with others because I find it’s much more likely to motivate me to go fast and ride longer.
I find riding alone lonely, not particularly motivational, and frankly, a little bit scary.
When I look for cycling motivation, this is the sort of image that speaks to me.
Who wants to be out there alone?
Well, not even Tracy now. But Past Tracy.
But given the new big job and extra demands on my time, I’m finding I’m not free to ride when others are riding and then when I have time, there is no one to ride with.
I’m a bit bummed out about it.
But I’m trying to think of the bright side.
Here’s one thing: I can do my own thing. I can ride at the speed I want to ride that day and not worry about dropping people or worry about keeping up. I can do intervals and hill repeats.
Further, there’s no need to compromise my schedule. I can just go when I want to go. I’ve got some free time during the daylight hours in the week. I should just ride.
And I will.
I’ve been thinking though about safety. Yes, I’ve got ID with me at all times. I can fix a flat and I’ve got the stuff to do that. I’ve got my phone. I’ll keep my rear light on.
Anything else?
I’ve thought about using either Google or Garmin’s Beacon service to allow family members to track my rides.
So what’s your advice? Assume I need to ride alone at least some of the time. I can’t just ride with other people every few weeks to stay fit enough. It needs to be a regular thing.
What’s your motivation?
So you have any safety tips?
Here is a short film I love about a woman riding alone in the fall.
