Solo rides

[Martin]

OK I'll admit  after several 100 (mostly just training rides but quite a few route checks of my own events) a 200 and a 300 I've had these up to the back teeth and I've still got 2 more 200s to go this year. Does anyone actually prefer them?

the one thing and the only thing in their favour is that they are quick.

[RichForrest]

Last year my 400 and 300 was a diy solo affair. I've done many a solo 200 as well. Doesn't really bother me as I tend to ride on my own on a lot of rides anyway, also I'm used to working alone for hrs in a lorry so that might help.
It's good to talk at cafes etc' on rides but on solo's I'll talk to whoever will listen

Rich.

[Martin]

on a calendar event you do at least see other riders at controls; I've seen absolutely nobody riding the same way as me the  last 4 rides;

such is RRTY (and the metric century a month challenge)I suppose; and anyone who says  keepimg up the winter rides are harder should check the summer calendar

[MSeries]

No I hate them I get all sorts of self doubts and -ve emotions, beat myself up and get upset, Black Dog CC. It's one reason why I like Audaxing, the company and one reason why over the last few months of riding myself back to fitness, alone, that I am keen to ride with others. Very few on my DIY perms have been alone, only my ride to London last year though I did 200km from Carlisle in 2004 alone before I took up this audax lark.

[Greenbank]

Like Rich I tend to end up doing most rides on my own anyway so I don't mind them. Prefer company though.

[Noodley]

I've only ever ridden one solo audax Perm (Snow Roads 300 in November last year) and enjoyed it.  I go out for solo 50km rides on a regular basis.  And enjoy them as well.

Later this month and early next month I plan to be riding a few more solo Perms.  I am lookind forward to not having anyone feeling they have to wait on me. 

[LittleWheelsandBig]

I really don't like solo rides, unless I am on a structured training programme, where they are a necessary evil.  Part of the enjoyment of an Audax is the socialising IMHO.

[Pingu]

I've found 200k solo rides quite hard going. The two 300s I've done in company have been seemed easier.

[Noodley]

...structured training programme...

A what?!!!? 

[innesh]

I've done everything up to 600km solo - it can be hard when there's no-one to help you through the bad patches.  200s are no problem for me; I've done loads.

Like RichForrest says, I work alone all day too and very often don't even see anyone, never mind speak to anyone all day, and that must help on long rides.

I think I finish rides quicker when on my own.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

...structured training programme...

A what?!!!? 

I used to race, back in the day...

[Fixedwheelnut]

 Applebag hit the nail on the head, it's when things are getting tough that the moral support or a wheel to chase is missed.

 I don't mind riding on my own on an event but when you are riding solo or route checking and no other rider is being passed or passing you then it can be tougher, I remember route checking the 400 a couple of years ago, Cyklisten rode the first 50km with me then I was on my own in a headwind and rain, having to stop and write down distances at every instruction and ride back and correct mistakes, it got very demoralising and I was glad to see Smutchin with a flask of tea outside Whitstable for a quick chat.

 I take my hat off to Teethgrinder for the miles he knocks out alone 

[Hot Flatus]

I love riding on my own. 

Don't get me wrong I like a bit of decent company too, as long as said person is up for a bit of a laugh, or a comfortable silence when appropriate.

On a solo ride I like the sense of isolation, the time to switch off and ponder and also those moments of vague panic when you start to wonder if you'll ever get back.

[nightrider]

Most of my long training rides are done alone.When I say long I mean 60-100 miles.Its not through choice,its just that none of my club mates are into this sort of thing..Its not that bad actually you ride at your own pace, stop when you like,spend less time on the stops.They are good training too,on most audax rides I have  had to ride some part alone.It helps that I am a bit of a loner by nature.But having said that I would allways prefer to ride in a small group,especially when riding a long audax off 200k upwards.

[phil d]

I'm quite happy riding alone up to about 100k.  I've done plenty of 200s (calendar events) virtually alone, but as said above, you always see others during the day even if you don't ride with them much.

I've only ever done one solo 200 permanent, and I can't say I enjoyed it.

My RRTY has not yet required a permanent (55 consecutive months and counting).  I don't think I'd have embarked on even one RRTY if it needed permanents, though I have done a few "organised" perms with others and enjoyed them.

[teethgrinder]

I do most of my riding alone. Not many people want to ride as far as I do, so it's either ride alone or not at all, or at least don't ride as much.
I enjoy riding alone. I wouldn't do it if I didn't.
But I am wary about spending a very long time alone after my 2000 season.
I went about 6 months without any real conversation and think I ended up with some kind of depression. I started avoiding people I liked. I felt as if I hated them and didn't want anything to do with them. I also started to hate my weekly phone call to my mother and she even asked me if I was OK sometimes and was starting to get worried about me. It may not have been just the long time I spent alone. I was doing a series of 1000km rides and was getting very tired. Those rides were very tough and it rained on all but one of them. I had mould growing on my feet because they were wet for so long. I had to literally peel my socks off after my ride. I remember trying to scrape the mold off my feet with a stanley blade, but it never all came off. I had a few other hardships too, so it may not have just been lonliness.
I still enjoy riding alone. But I do make a point of doing some social rides now, just incasde I get into the state I did in 2000. It took me about 2-3 years to get over it.
Last year wasn't so bad because I was very focused on points chasing, but even then, I certainly did have low points. One of my aims for my 2000 season was to ride without focus and not caring if I succeded or failed. It was a psychological experiment on myself.
I wouldn't have done what I did last year without my 2000 season. I learned a lot about myself from it. But it took me a few years.

[MSeries]

On a solo ride I like the sense of isolation, the time to switch off and ponder

The bliss of solitude. I know what you mean.

[Andydauddwr]

I do a lot of riding alone out of necessity.  I've probably done 10 or so solo 200s this year, mainly to take advantage of the fact that I don't work on Fridays anymore and often as a means of travel for whatever I am doing in the folllowing weekend.  I've done one solo 300, which was tough, but that was as much about being fixed as anything.

It doesn't bother me particularly and when the conditions are less than perfect (wet/cold etc) then it's handy to get around quickly with a minimum of time spent in controls relative to the average calendar ride.

AC

[urban_biker]

I've never ridden an Audax alone, either as a perm or calendar event.

Part of me would like to try it sometime, mainly to see how I would cope. I've really got no idea whether that kind of riding would suit me or not. I suspect you need to be both mentally and sometimes physically stronger.

BUT, some of the best rides I have had have been about the company and the people on the ride. The Denmead 300k this year was probably one of my favourite rides so far, simply because of the people that I was riding with.

[border-rider]

I can cope with 300 on my own, but 400 & 600 are too much.  I find them much harder than when riding with others - and I'm less inclined to make good progress.

[Mr Larrington]

I've done many a solo 200 as well. Doesn't really bother me as I tend to ride on my own on a lot of rides anyway

Such is the lot of we Dark-Siders...

[arabella]

I try to plan things so I'm not going the whole way on my own - either DIY round calendar or stop chez des amis.  That way you get to talk to someone at some point.  Someone you know is more liikely to be poitive support than some passing stranger.  

My most recent (unplanned) entirely solo DIY was a 200 back in Sept '07 which I didn't particularly enjoy though the fact I'd expected company and didn't get it didn't help.  The supposedly solo 700 in fact I saw Tracy for tea, Chris for the first part of Sat, Lee over Sat night and a couple of chats with strangers along the way as well.

[Ian H]

A solo 600 can be hard work, especially if it involves wading through waist-deep water, and generally spending most of 39 hrs sodden. On the other hand a solo 2,600k involving storms, snow and ice, and scorching heat is an experience to cherish.

[MercuryKev]

I had mould growing on my feet because they were wet for so long...I remember trying to scrape the mould off my feet with a stanley blade, but it never all came off.

I think I have identified one of the indicators people can use to judge whether they are cycling too much:

• No mould = Cycling level OK
• Mould = Too much cycling

[Dave]

I do most of my riding alone. Not many people want to ride as far as I do, so it's either ride alone or not at all, or at least don't ride as much.

Same here, but through lack of riding companions rather than the distances I want to ride.

I enjoy riding alone. I wouldn't do it if I didn't.

Yep.

But I am wary about spending a very long time alone after my 2000 season.
I went about 6 months without any real conversation and think I ended up with some kind of depression. I started avoiding people I liked. I felt as if I hated them and didn't want anything to do with them. I also started to hate my weekly phone call to my mother and she even asked me if I was OK sometimes and was starting to get worried about me. It may not have been just the long time I spent alone.

BTDT. I have frequently gone for weeks without having a social conversation and got into what I think is exactly the same mindset you're describing. And that's without the stresses and tiredness caused by the mileage I know you've done.

I've done more 'social ' rides in the last few weeks than I've done in the last few years and it's been a rather scary (and uncomfortable at times) experience.

Too much time on your own screws you up. Don't do it kids.