Riding Solo - Need advice!

  1. Become an introvert
  2. Get married and have kids
  3. Take a job that requires high interaction with other people

Do those 3 things and trust me, you’ll be clearing the calendar for solo rides in order to find some daily headspace.

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Check, check and check for me. At least the third one is gone now with retirement. :wink:

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you could become a greeter at Walmart, if thats still a thing, or volunteer as a docent :rofl:

I don’t exactly fit the greeter/docent demographic after retiring early (48). :smiley:

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Well I’ve worked at a lot of startups, and my “retire before 40” stock gains up and vanished like a fart in the wind. #jealousOfSiliconValleyFriendsThatHitTheJackpot

Solid square you mapped! I’m am at 12*12 but hell collecting squares ist fun!

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Oil and gas industry for me. I’m no where smart enough for the SV world.

Quite interesting, I would rather ride solo than with other riders. I never get bored outdoors. I do often get bored on the bike trainer.

Solo rides are the best,
No waiting for anyone
No wheel suckers getting a free ride
It’s only you and the timer on a Garmin.
I’ve never been bored on any of my rides. I don’t wear headphones as I believe they take away from my ride. Most rides I see wildlife even in the suburbs, coyotes, rabbits, hawks, ospreys, snakes, lizards, and other miscellaneous wild life. Not to mention all the homeless that inhabit the river bed here in SoCal.

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:+1:t3::+1:t3::+1:t3:

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I’m not an introvert, but points 2 and 3 I totally agree to. With work and family I’m constantly around people, so I really appreciate some “alone time”. Doesn’t really matter if it’s my daily commute, TR in the basement or a solo Z2 ride. I’ve solved a lot of work and family related issues while on the bike. Riding clears my mind.

Besides, being the only TR-user in my cycling group, I’m faster then everybody else and I don’t like waiting :crazy_face: :crazy_face:

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:rofl::joy::rofl:
So good.

Riding solo isn’t a chore to me for the exact reasons you give. I do enjoy team rides, don’t get me wrong, but riding by yourself has its appeal, too.

If you are bored, set yourself a goal. Try a pacing strategy. Currently, I’m trying to even out my power output on rides, i. e. I try to hold back on the climbs and add more power when it is flat or points downhill. Or you could try for a KOM on a specific Strava segment.

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I have been using TR 3-4 times a week and doing a 70-100 mile solo ride on Saturdays. Been using the solo rides to do a lot of exploring around Austin. Best tool I have found to create routes is following high level cyclist around Austin and see what they are going for big rides.

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Like you I love riding solo, and spend hours planning routes to areas I dont know and exploring . I 'm planning a offroad route from lands end to john o groats, self sufficient ,and camping wild en route. I agree ,if you’re away for 2 or3 weeks it’s hard not to carry too much. I always seem to come back from these rides a stronger person. Things that are not important in our over cushy lives become important, like keeping some kit dry, getting enough food, finding your way, choosing the right bivvy spot etc. Appreciating nature the sounds and smells etc.
This is the extreme end ,but if you are not happy riding alone ,you don’t have to do big rides. There is nothing wrong with training indoors, and I do appreciate that many people live in cities ,and riding outside is no pleasure. So driving /train out to a country park or suchlike is a great day out

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I always ride solo, depending on other people is always a problem. Finding free time fitting to your group is very difficult. Instead of pushing for it, i jump on my bike and ride alone.
Perhaps it is the personality thing; i even like it more.
Advice? Ah just be happy like a dog is happy when you open the rear window, enjoy the wind and nature:)

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I almost never ride in a group. Saddle time is ME time. It might also stem from my days of topping off a 3l camelback, stuffing compartments with food and extra clothes and hitting the trails up at Tahoe. I’ve always ridden solo & self-supported.

As others have mentioned, if there are areas you want to ride that are too far away, just toss your bike in the car and drive to a good jumping off point and go. I’ve been exploring new routes and making very long rides out of them to boot. Personally, I’d skip putting anything in one or two ears. Sure, it can fend off boredom, but I like to know who’s coming. Garmin radar is good but hearing them (except electrics) helps a lot.

Good luck! I hope you find something that works for you.

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