Given that you like to push yourself, why do you want a riding partner? Where I live currently, I ride alone. I like to ride the forest roads, which tend to be steep and unimproved. There aren't a lot of other adult residents here who ride--we do have out-of-state cyclists passing through the area during spring, summer and fall. Occasionally, I worry about no one else being present if I'd have an accident in the hinterlands, but that's life, isn't it. I'm not going to let worries keep me from getting out and enjoying cycling. I do take my cellphone with me, but many areas where I ride don't get a signal.