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10 Reasons for Riding Alone.
A story by Mark Hinchliffe
There are many reason why we love riding solo.
But here are our top 10:
1. Zen: It’s a good time for peace and meditation, away from
the mindless chatter and banter of friends. Solo riding can be a
cathartic experience where you “blow out the cobwebs”, cleanse
the mind of the week’s built-up minutia and think about nothing
else but the manual task in hand – clutch, throttle, brake,
steering.
2. Peer pressure: There is none when you ride solo. You can
choose your own pace. Go on, race that HSV Holden if you like,
tag on to the back of a bunch of sports bikes or just wave them
past and continue to ride at a relaxed pace. If you race and win,
you can congratulate yourself. If you race and lose, then there’s
no one judging you.
3. No pressure: Apart from a lack of pressure to go racing,
there is also no pressure to stay together in a pack which can
put pressure on you to make some silly errors, radical passing
manoeuvres or run “very amber” lights.
4. Stop: Yes, you can actually stop to take a photo, absorb a
view, go to the toilet or grab another cup of coffee without being
berated by a friend for slowing down the herd.
5. Go: No need to wait around for one of your group to use the
toilet, pay for their latte by American Express, or have a
cigarette. Just go when you are ready!
6. Idiots: You probably don’t ride with idiots, but usually a
group can have one person who isn’t as talented as the other
riders or makes rash decisions. Riding solo removes this
dangerous element from your ride.
7. Change your mind: There is no set agenda. You are allowed
to change your mind, destination and route as often as you want
without causing anyone grief or upset.
8. Explore: Groups have a rigid route and arrival time, but
riding solo allows you to explore side roads, go a different route
to normal or even head up a dead-end just to see what’s there.
And no one will mind!
9. Bench racing: You can’t fool yourself, so there is no point in
lying to yourself about your escapades. However, when you catch
up with your friends on another ride, you can “embellish” all you
like as there are no witnesses!
10. Safety: Riding solo, especially on lonely country roads or
trails is not very safe in the event of a crash or breakdown.
However, these days there are mobile phones, distress beacons,
GPS trackers and other electronic gadgets you can use to
improve your safety, even if you are out of phone signal.