Riding on your own - how many of you do this instead of a club ride?

Solo, 100%

Club is all very well and I would but.... they ride at the same time my very accommodating and lovely wife wants to go for her weekly run AND they phaff about (stravaed their rides). I just don't have the kind of life where I can spend four hours doing a three hour ride. Not interested in fecking cake stops.

Used to ride with an MTB group and that was more fun as MTB is a little more casual in nature, but I still felt like I had to do an extra hour after the ride to get the required time in.

I am grumpy and no fun obviously

I do both. Club is riding a route on Sunday but the forecast is wet so I did it today as happened to have the day off. I want to do longer slightly slower rides than the club does (around 50 miles at 17mph aveerage) as trying to get ready for the 100 in August.

Almost always solo. I go where I want, as fast or slow as I want, stop where I want. And get lost truly alone, which is wonderful. Like the occasional club ride - and belong to a great club - but out there alone, just me and the climb, reaches places no group ride ever could. I come back exhausted, elated, centred - and ready to remeet the world.

Last week, 6am, on a country rode I had to do an emergency stop as a doe and her three young offspring sauntered across the road, looked at me with curiosity. That on a group ride?

Unfortunately our local club only does Sundays at the weekend, when I have other commitments. Plus I'm a sociopath.

Mainly by myself, i do like riding with friends occasionally though, club rides are a bit sociable for me, i also dislike cafe stops, i would rather spend that extra time riding.

Lone Wolf!
I've got 4 kids, so tend to go out about 5am on the weekends, so that I still get to spend the whole weekend with them!
So much better at that time of the morning, no traffic, empty roads, lots of wildlife (seen so many deers running wild). Not many clubs go out at that time, and to echo what most people said on here, it's nice to be in control of where I go and at what pace etc.

Lone Wolf!
I've got 4 kids, so tend to go out about 5am on the weekends, so that I still get to spend the whole weekend with them!
So much better at that time of the morning, no traffic, empty roads, lots of wildlife (seen so many deers running wild). Not many clubs go out at that time, and to echo what most people said on here, it's nice to be in control of where I go and at what pace etc.

Like most it seems, kids and family life mean early starts and solo commuting so generally on my own unless I rope in 1 or 2 dads from the local village. I like it though. Lucky to have country roads on the doorstep and flat to the south and hills to the north so plenty of choice. Also, I have to say the groups I usually encounter are a snooty, unsmiling bunch so kind of puts me off a club.

I go to club roller sessions on Wednesdays and either the longer club ride on Saturday or the lung-busting cat-and-mouse ride on Sunday. Having those two events organised externally makes them easier to plan for (especially the weather-proof roller session).

Generally, anything else I do is on my own, but having those rides dependably penciled in sets a decent enough 'base' for the weekend, and means I can generally enjoy my solo rides freely, rather than feeling like I'm somehow 'obliged' to be out there on my own.

But it's obviously very personal. I used to do a lot more solo riding, and I've also been in the position of doing so much club stuff that I felt kind of stifled by it.

Balance and all that...

Single dad, I don't even ride my bike anymore.

if training, on my own. Why would/should I expect anyone else to do what I want/need to do?
if just out for a ride, usually with others.

Another vote for both. Enjoy my own company and satisfaction of riding on my own but balanced with club runs. Stating the obvious, there are some good clubs and not-so-good clubs - it is well worth getting some recommendations up front to measure against what you are looking for in a club. On solo rides I do miss the post-ride coffee /cake / chat on the shared experience and future plans / leg pulls etc.

Solo when road riding - although I'm always friendly

MTBing - often solo, but will mix it up and ride with family / friends for a laugh now and then.

I have joined local club and been on 2 rides but it is 9.30 leave for 50 odd miles including café stop so not home until 2.30 or so. Fine if you have nothing else on but I do prefer getting up and going. So I also go on my own at a time to suit. Also if you need the odd "comfort stop" you don't have to work really hard to catch back up!

I've joined the relevant club/society in respect of every activity I've participated in over the years and intended to join a cycling club when I bought my first road bike 3 years ago.

Sadly, witnessing the arrogant and unfriendly behaviour of club groups on the road put me off and I've seen nothing subsequently to change my opinion.

So I'm a contented soloist.

I keep thinking about it, joining the local CC, but the cost of a newish geared bike so I don't look like a tit, the club jerseys, the subs and getting to meets that are far away etc etc is all a bit much unless you are paid well above the living wage these days

Plus I don't think the local CC are that keen on tanking it down trails and tow paths which I in fact like, especialy being able to dismount and run over obstacles like bridges and steps with the bike in the cyclo-cross carry.

I get bored riding on my own. Far more fun for me in a group

One of the things that puts me off after my one club run the other week is the constant shouting of 'FLAT!!'
Honestly, 4 maybe 5 flats out 20 of us. That's a lot!

When on the roadie I'm 95% a solo rider. Occasionally I'll go out with a friend or two. I generally go out really early (5am weekdays, 5:30am weekends), not many around these parts get out that early.

I love it - roads quiet, some wildlife, a bit of sunrise and I'm on my own to get a bit of peace (4 kids, hard wrk and need time just in my own!)

I did consider joining a local club but was put off by their website. I'm sure they are great people but it notes things like 'you must ride for xx miles each week, you should join at least xx club rides per month'. A bit macho and off putting for me. I do it for pleasure.

On the MTB I'm always with someone else. Not sure why, I just am. Maybe it's some sort of safety thing?

It would be good to meet up with like minded cyclists. If anyone is in the Basingstoke area and fancies some early morning rides, send me a message!

I used to go out with the club on Sundays and out on my own during the rest of the week but that has changed because I volunteer on a helpline generally at weekends and their Sunday morning start time is just too early if I have been doing the really late shifts. I joined the club initially because I had lived in the area for about a year and wanted to find some new routes and to improve my social circle. While it has definitely helped with the former, many of the members are testosterone fueled Jeremy Clarkson fans so while they are ok on bunch rides I could see them being very tiresome off the bike!
I do like being part of the club though-I help out with marshalling at the races (I'm not a racer myself as a glance at my Strava profile will show) and it is good to have people to chat to about a sport that is not soccer, GAA or rugby- if I raise cycling as a topic at work I get funny looks.

I've recently joined a club and I've found it great to discover new routes. Also it means the girlfriend isn't stressed about me being on my own.

Spent a couple of years riding solo but since my LBS opened last year, I've been heavily involved with organising their shop rides and am out with a group most Sundays. Much more fun with a few of us, and have met a lot of cool people. Can't beat the occasional solo blast around Richmond Park though...

I ride a lot on my own. I ride a fair bit with a rag-tag group that my neighbour rides in, but it can be a bit of an odd experience as we tend to go faster than I'm quite able to keep up with, but then stop a lot more than I'd like! I'd rather maintain a lower pace consistently for longer. I also do a lot of riding in weekday evenings after the kids have gone to bed, so it's not unusual for me to be getting home at ten or even later. I also like being able to dictate my own routes, and decide where I'm going, although I have to say I find my Garmin invaluable in terms of actually getting me to where I want to go when I'm out in unfamiliar territory without any local knowledge.

Me, myself and I. I tend to go out with a rough distance in mind but not set route. I just decide a direction to head off in and go.

I used to cycle on my own all the time, but joined a local triathlon club to ride with a group. These days, I do both... I love to get out on my own, clear my head explore new territories but the group of people I ride with are fantastic. A pleasure to spend time with... So I'm 50/50 split...

I did go out with a triathlon club for a few months a few years ago but I basically always ride on my own- in fact being out in my own headspace is one of the main attractions for me. I've always ridden and don't need other people around to enjoy it, plus you can set your own pace, stop if and when it suits you etc.

It's not that I don't like group rides, but they are a different beast and I get different things out of them. I've just moved to a new town and might see if there's a club or shop ride or something, but even if there is I will still probably go out on my own more often than not.

one of the great things about cycling is the sense of freedom you get. I have said it before on other threads here but it makes me feel like I am 12 years old heading down the park to see my mates and not the 44 year old man with kids and responsibilities.

That said another driver for me is to keep fit and healthy so I can look after my kids, and eat more cheese of course

I was in a club when I was a teenager and did enjoy it then but I don't want to be held to anyone else's measurement of what is good enough, that turns me off most sports.

Never really been a team player and competitively I always enjoyed the focus of time trialling and triathlon (before drafting was allowed), especially when you got your head 'in the zone'. I still like riding alone but now ride mostly 2 up and a weekly club run although I prefer to get my head down and not really engage in sociable conversation until the post ride café stop.

There are plenty of skills to practice when riding in a group which keeps things fresh and I also like that there's always a wheel to hang onto when you need a breather plus there's a satisfaction in taking the lead when you are feeling strong or helping someone else be it with a bike skill or fixing a puncture together.

I came across a good mantra. "If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far then go together". Sometimes it's not all about just going fast, indeed some of my favourite group biking memories from the last year have been hooning about in the freezing mud on mountain bikes making an average 5mph.

Solo mostly.

I like the head-space though it does depend on the steed I select (road, mtb or fixie).

I have a friend who sometimes joins me when I'm out on the road bike but even those rides are usually conversation free until we stop for a break. Route is determined by a sort of unspoken tacit agreement.

Often I just go for a ride because I just want to go for a ride. No plan, no route, no reason, no Garmin, no Strava, no schedule. Just bumbling around town for the sheer hell of it, seeing what there is to see and there always is something to see.