funrover 

I enjoy cycling, it relieves stress, keeps me calm, etc.. But I do get tired of riding alone. I have started riding with a group when I can but I slow them WAY DOWN.... I will get faster.better as I go just getting tired of being alone or behind.... I ride often with a friend and he is much slower than I... So I am in that middle area... I will get there.. thanks for letting me rant..

Mr. Beanz

I don't miss it at all. I've always got others around because of Gina. I keep a nice pace for her and pretty much most others like it too!

But if it weren't for her, I'd rather ride alone. Too man others have no idea of what riding together means. I pull for 10 miles at 20, then they sprint at 25. After 1/8 mile of trying to catch up, it's my turn again!

scrapmetal

Come on over, I will ride with you

funrover 

Where is over exactly?

Snapperhead

I'm feeling ya. I hate riding alone too.

evblazer

I do a short little social ride 2-3 saturdays a month. Other then that I mostly ride alone on commutes or maybe with just my wife on longer rides. Until I'm faster or almost as fast as people I don't want to go on a multi hour or multi day ride and slow anyone down.

Try to find a social no drop ride that really is a social no drop ride. We must stop, regroup and chat 20 times on the 10 mile trip to the coffee shop some mornings while groups of slow and fast riders going slow catch up.

pipes

I kina like riding alone NO ONE likes. me like I do !!!! Besides I always get my way when I ride alone .

rsyb

Same here. It's amazing how much thinking I can get done while riding solo. Plus, when I'm done I'm done. No one says let's go a little further (or faster, or slower)...

RedC

I find riding with a group pushes me more than I push myself when I'm along. I commute alone and I go exploring whenever I can but having a group makes me work harder and get stronger faster. I like the social aspects of no drop rides but getting dropped and having to ride home alone doesn't bother me as long as I keep getting further than last time

funrover 

I ride alone on commutes, and enjoy it... don't get me wrong but after awhile the "alone" wears on me. My wife isn't really a biker so I don't get her on the bike much. I do social rides.. mostly in summer.

scrapmetal

Northern Virginia

Racer46

I don't mind riding alone but, like RedC, I don't push as hard by myself. On a solo ride I find that my average speed is down 1 - 2 mph.

1bluetrek

Dude I havent seen another cyclist where I live in months. There were a couple guys passing thru last summer. A few over in Moses Lake and a couple in Othello, but I'm all alone here.

youcoming

I use to have that issue then I taught them a lesson. On the first part of ride I just hung out in the middle chatting away. Few guys asked why I wasn't out front like normal, told them I did a training ride yesterday and just out for a recovery ride. Last 10k of a 120k ride I worked my way to the front and slowly crept the speed up by half a k ever so slowly. Before they new it we are doing 30km/h on a flat looking up a 1k hill at 8% grade I stomp on it and blow them all off the back meet them at the stop sign which we always use to sprint too. Big smiles on everyones face with the sarcastic tones, oh yeah recovery ride. Since then no more problems.

Neil_B

Ditto that. Look me up in Chester County, PA.

Neil_B

I've ridden in groups, and I've ridden alone. The ride styles are different depending on my goal.

If it's a commute to work, or a trip to the store, then it's a solo ride. My work hours are second shift, which means I don't see other commuters either at noon or at midnight.

If it's a photography ride, then I'm usually alone except for my camera.

If it's a large group ride such as the MS City to Shore, it's also a solo ride since, even if I'm on a team, I'm usually not able to keep up with the other riders.

The only rides I've considered "group" rides have been my tours with Neil Fein, recovery rides with Uncadan, and my twice a year rolls with Bautieri and vXhanz. On those rides, friendship dominates over cycling, so to speak.

Nimitz87

only way to get faster is to ride with the faster groups...

we have them down here...they have a VERY STRICT speed limit when you pull, and are no drops.

most pull at the upper limit of the speeds, the FAST ride has no speed limit really...but the don't want people going OTB, there are other groups that are all hammer fests with sprint points too

Leisure Ride (10-12MPH)
Moderate Ride (12-14MPH)
Intermediate Ride (14-16MPH)
Experienced Ride (16-18MPH)
Advanced Ride (18-20MPH)
Advanced+ Ride (20-22MPH)
Fast Ride (22-26MPH)

Chad

Nimitz87

wish I could drop guys around here at 19mph

Chad

youcoming

It was near the end of a hilly 120k with like 3k to go, and the 30 was at base of the grade with a graduale lead up to it. I wrote every detail of that ride down, 4000' climbing average speed was 30.4 k for the whole ride and it was only 5 of us so it's not like we were doing a huge paceline. I was pretty damn happy after dropping those guys as it was one of my goals for the year.

aenlaasu

Unless it's the husky coming with me, I definitely prefer to ride alone. There's just the feeling that if I'm riding with others, I can't stop and enjoy the scenery, take photos. I'm just killing myself and my knees to play catch up since even when I'm not dawdling, I'm quite slow.

Sometimes I think it might be nice to have company while I do it, but then I remember that I would just be spending the entire time looking at their backs in the distance and think, "Oooh, yeah. Company would be great!"

txvintage

Like Historian, my work schedule means I ride alone most of the time. Fellow C&A member JTGYK and I have similar schedules but live a bit apart. So far we have only managed one ride but it was a blast.

Pamestique 

Funny... I used to ride alone so I joined a club... so I wasn't that fast and I certainly wasn't that slow; I was a "tweener" and still rode alone.

I realized that I didn't like to socialize while riding. Don't mind doing it before and don't mind doing it after or at the break stop, but while riding, I like to do my own thing, ride my own pace and pay attention to the road and my surroundings. I again find myself out riding alone but now I don't mind. It gives me an opportunity to push hard if I want or to putz around if I want or to explore.

I took a friend out yesterday and showed him the bikes trails of Orange County. Many he didn't realize existed because when he rides it's a point A to B as fast as he can thing... not enjoying the sights, sounds and weather. I'm like that at times as well, just not every ride.

If you want the social contact, find a club in your area. Or do a event ride and meet people. Many of my riding buddies now are people I met at these events.