Solo vs Group Rides

Three years ago I set up a Meetup for slowpoke MTB riders. I led the majority of the rides, but this year it felt more like an obligation that something I actually wanted to do. Last week I stepped down as organizer, and cancelled my remaining scheduled rides. I think I got tired of being responsible for the attendees’ enjoyment and well-being. That, and riding with the same bunch of guys got boring.

Anybody else get burned out on the group riding thing (whether you’re leading or just attending)?

Definitely. Gets tiresome being the only motivator. Having a short-roster of leaders to rotate that is the best way to perpetuate it, but even then, nothing is forever in my experience. Point83 is like that for many of us. Our buddy Chase moved to Chicago and tried to start Point83 chapter there - said he spent 2 years being the only guy who came up with routes and whatnot before he tapped out. I can think of a bunch of similar rides that went the same way. Eventually you get tired of riding with the same people coming up with the same ideas - and if you’re the only one, you burn out even faster. You need new blood, new ideas. Traditions are good but I think novelty may be more important and more people contributing more ideas feels like the better way to do it.

I’ve got some thoughts on this topic.

Yeah, I tried to get other folks involved in leading rides, but never got any traction. Funny thing is, though, when I announced that I was stepping down (and that the group would eventually shut down), 1-2 people stepped up to lead rides (but I have my doubts that it’s sustainable).

fax : group rides :: heath : tarck

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That’s a pretty common pattern. I mean hey, great. But usually they tap out faster than even you. Slike, if they had it in them they’d have stepped forward before now. But hey, low risk/high reward, let it go, you never know.

lonewolf 4 lyf

I ride solo pretty much all of the time. I ride so I can just sit and think. riding with other people is cool but then you have to worry about that. That’s not what my riding is about.

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Cycling is a Goldilocks sport where you’re too strong, not strong enough, or if you’re lucky, you’ve got a person or two you can keep up with. And if you’re REALLY lucky, you actually like those people you can keep pace with.

I get frustrated when I can’t go the speed I want to go. Or when I chill tfo and go slow, when we don’t spend as much time riding as I thought we would. Some of the group rides are like 5 miles and 5 bars, which I’m not into.

But kudos to you for the organizing you did. Planning rides takes a lot of time and mental energy.

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It’s hard to make group road rides work with my schedule. I also have little patience for standing around and waiting. The rando rides are too long, the fredly rides are too slow, and I’m not fast or cool enough for the Raphabro rides. Usually just go solo or with a few tarckfolk.

MTB riding with a group is really fun, but I’m a pretty timid MTBer, and usually don’t have the time available. There are only a handful of trails I’d consider doing solo for safety reasons, so my MTB usually just collects dust.

I like riding with friends
Fukka group ride tho
I don’t need to be taken out by a rogue dentist

I have a crew of about 10 people that are regularly emailed for riding so between 2-5 regularly turn out. That’s a great size and we all are close enough in fitness to keep together for 90% of the ride. We also don’t stop for long, typical 4-5 hour day will be two water stops. Great for staying loose, not good for Instagram broadcasting.

I’ve been doing a few group rides this summer and they are nice because I can stay in the front 10 riders. Don’t want to drop back further where there’s an increased chance for shit to happen.

Earlier this summer I was riding solo and a group ride caught up with me and then rode at my speed. It was fucking annoying.

Because of my wife’s patchy half-time work schedule (gotta be home for my kid) I’m boxed out from all of the local group rides. I almost made a Tuesday night mtb ride about a month ago after two years of trying, but the group changed the start location a couple of hours before it went off and I missed the update. All I want is to go on one group ride, just to know it’s possible. Greener grass!

This guy gets me.
Like Turp, I ride to get away from it all and clear my head. The last thing I want to do on a ride is make fucking small talk, Jesus it gives me anxiety just thinking about it.
That said, when I was in California earlier this year, I got to do a big mountainy ride with one of my oldest and best friends and that was just fantastic. I’d ride with that guy every weekend if I could.

Lonewolf crü

I only ride with one other person and even that hasn’t happened in probably a year.

Also mostly lone wolf here.
I ride with mates maybe twice a year, and do one huge overnight rando ride each year.
I used to do a local shop ride on Saturdays a few years back, but quit after a particularly sketchy ride. Dadlyf has prevented me finding another group ride, and I’m okay with that.

I train alone and group ride when I have no prescribed plan for the day. That way I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything.

i just went mountain biking and the trail was the most crowded it has ever been. It was cool to see a guy at the trailhead area and then go on a loop with them for a bit till whichever one was faster broke away. Then do a solo lap. Then maybe pickup a new friend at the trailhead.

As the slowest guy on two wheels I almost always ride alone and I’m good with that, but oddly enough I’m in it for the people. Which if you know me you’d not suspect it. I get the sense “group ride” means something different for me than for y’all somehow. Group ride for me is 30 people going to a destination at whatever pace they damn well want to, drinking beers and/or camping at the end of that route. I get the sense “group ride” for most folks means ample Lycra and pacelines and high fivin over KOMs. In which case, yeah, that sounds about as fun as a rock in your shoe.

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I’ve done that it’s fun