[splat]

the women in Bike ads over in the lounge got me thinking.

How many of you won't go out on a ride alone ?


We have great trails right behind our house but My wife will not go for a ride in to the woods alone , she always say who knows what sickos are in there . ( there has never been any sort of incident in there )

Yet , she has no issues with going out on a road ride , on some very desolate roads alone. Personally I think if she is going to run into some sick-o it will be on the road but that is just me.

So Ladies , do you Mt bike alone ? do you road Bike alone ? any fears ? ever have any issues ?

 

[Snacks]

the women in Bike ads over in the lounge got me thinking.

How many of you won't go out on a ride alone ?


We have great trails right behind our house but My wife will not go for a ride in to the woods alone , she always say who knows what sickos are in there . ( there has never been any sort of incident in there )

Yet , she has no issues with going out on a road ride , on some very desolate roads alone. Personally I think if she is going to run into some sick-o it will be on the road but that is just me.

So Ladies , do you Mt bike alone ? do you road Bike alone ? any fears ? ever have any issues ?

I'll ride trails that are really popular alone, and ones that are close to neighborhoods. I won't DH or ride alone at Whistler. I haven't had any problems with sick-o's at all. I'm more worries about getting hurt and not being found.

 

[thePINKster]

i used to ride alone every day in the summer... but now i'm not allowed to ride alone anymore because of lame rules set by the rents

 

[dhjill]

I ride alone all the time! Of course, I enjoy riding with a group, but I've never let whether or not I have anyone to ride with stop me from going on a ride. I do tend to ride more conservatively when I'm by myself...no sense pushing the envelope! I just stay alert and try to anticipate problems before they happen. I've never had any issues in my 8 or 9 years of riding. I'll keep my fingers crossed!

 

[Velocity Girl]

I try to stick to more popular trails and ones I know fairly well if I'm riding alone. I also make sure someone knows where I'm riding, what time I'm starting, and when to start worrying and callling someone if they haven't heard from me.

Just like anywhere that you're alone you just need to keep aware of your surroundings and keep on your toes.

 

[MudGrrl]

I ride alone.

I run alone.

I make sure that someone (the bf) knows where I am and my intended route.

I do bring my cell.

I don't tend to go alone at night, though. I might end the riding/running when the sun has been set, but it's not intentional...it just means that I have been exploring.

I do pay attention to local news, there's a gang out here called MS 13 who are fond of machetes and hacking off fingers. I stay away from their turf...


The whole confidence in being alone...
It's a gut feeling.
If for some odd reason I don't feel safe, I won't go.

 

[laura]

I ride alone out of necessity. I used to run alone but now I have my doggy. I won't ride on the road alone anymore because i crashed once downtown pretty bad, didn't have a cell phone, early sunday morning and it scared the crap out of me. I also scared the crap out of some really old men walking down the street when i bit it. they were super nice, helped me up, checked me and my bike out and i went on my way. the thought that they could have not been so nice is what makes me nervous. I do live in memphis though. I have more reason to be nervous than some.

 

[I Are Baboon]

I'll answer for MtnBikerChk since she's been slacking on the monkey lately.....

She will not ride on trails alone. She's concerned about freaks, as well as getting injured and having nobody around. She will ride on the road by herself, but always carries a cell phone. She figures if she has an emergency on the road, help is never too far away.

 

[TreeSaw]

I ride alone on my local trails and on the road. I always have my cell and Sq-Earl knows my intended route. I try not to do anything too extreme on my rides in case of injury, but I have been known to practice a spot/feature that gives me a hard time. I would tend to believe there are more dangers on the road than on the trails too as I have never seen any "sicko's" on our trails and the are plenty of horn-honking jerks on the roads.

 

[geargrrl]

I ride alone, and the same as the other gals... cell phone, leave info, take less risks. My personal observation is that freakos hang out on the paved bike trail around here, and do not venture off the beaten track. I see other gals out on the trails too - hikers and runners in addition to bikers. I do not do "wilderness" riding alone, but I do hit all the local spots.

I think a lot of it depends on where you live.

 

[MtnBikerChk]

I'll answer for MtnBikerChk since she's been slacking on the monkey lately.....

She will not ride on trails alone. She's concerned about freaks, as well as getting injured and having nobody around. She will ride on the road by herself, but always carries a cell phone. She figures if she has an emergency on the road, help is never too far away.

you know me.

but to add to this - I prefer to not ride the trails I know like the back of my hand alone either. I think that the more comfortable you get, the more careless you get too. THAT's where accidents happen - not where you're pushing yourself and concentrating on what you're doing.

I've been skiing far longer than I've been riding and I know that when I'm skiing by myself, cruising along on a trail I've skiied on since I was 8 I start to get too automated - and that's when I catch an edge I wasn't expected and there goes MBC falling down the moutain in a heap of rolling snow.

 

[Heidi]

I've ridden alone more than I've ridden with someone. That's just what I had to do when I was training and racing. I have never had any problems. It's kind of like the fear thread, some things just never cross my mind and aren't worth limiting my freedom for I guess.

 

[sanjuro]

because BurlyShirley is out there...

 

[MtnBikerChk]

It's kind of like the fear thread, some things just never cross my mind and aren't worth limiting my freedom for I guess.

for me its not really fear - it's about choosing the risks I want to take on. So on a given day if I have free time and no one to ride with, I weigh the risks of road riding vs mtb - and for me, I'll take the road.

life is all about risk and choosing which risks you are willing to accept and which ones you try to mitigate.

There you have it - MBCs take on life.

 

[Heidi]

for me its not really fear - it's about choosing the risks I want to take on. So on a given day if I have free time and no one to ride with, I weigh the risks of road riding vs mtb - and for me, I'll take the road.

life is all about risk and choosing which risks you are willing to accept and which ones you try to mitigate.

And that's something weird about me - I never even think of there being a risk. I was raised very much like a guy I think. Fear nothing.

 

[MudGrrl]

And that's something weird about me - I never even think of there being a risk. I was raised very much like a guy I think. Fear nothing.

I was like that for a while..... then somewhere in my mid-twenties, some kind of wiring got messed with and now I am all sorts of scared about things.....



it's really weird.

 

[laura]

I was like that for a while..... then somewhere in my mid-twenties, some kind of wiring got messed with and now I am all sorts of scared about things.....



it's really weird.

I'm the same way. Working for the center for crime research in one of the most dangerous cities in the country doesn't help ease my mind very often either.

As for my fear of going big, well, i think i'm just a pussy all around and for no logical reasons.

 

[McGRP01]

I have never seen any "sicko's" on our trails

We've ridden together haven't we?

 

[MudGrrl]

there is a park around here that a lot of gay guys got busted at for being nude in public...

so a lot of riders won't go there because there were some gay guys.



It's not the best trail system, but it's a nice place (and there aren't any people there).

 

[I Are Baboon]

there goes MBC falling down the moutain in a heap of rolling snow.

:love:

 

[geargrrl]

there is a park around here that a lot of gay guys got busted at for being nude in public...

so a lot of riders won't go there because there were some gay guys.



It's not the best trail system, but it's a nice place (and there aren't any people there).

haha, we have one of those, guys in suits coming out of the bushes. I try to remember that its a PARK, and I have more right to be there on my bike than guys looking for standby blowjobs.

 

[TreeSaw]

We've ridden together haven't we?

D'oh I stand corrected.

 

[laura]

haha, we have one of those, guys in suits coming out of the bushes. I try to remember that its a PARK, and I have more right to be there on my bike than guys looking for standby blowjobs.

we have a park like that. those guys aren't gay. they are perves. they are married with three kids and a mortgage. thats why they are hiding in the bushes. thats what creeps me out so bad about them.

 

[amydalayna]

in regards to riding alone. i do ride alone on xc runs all the time. i'm not at all scared about perves in the woods. i'm scared of bears and coyotes and such. so i always try and let my husband know where and where i'll be.

i think the riding alone thing depends on where you live.
I don't prefer to board or bike alone because if i get really hurt I don't want to get eaten (by critters) or die of hypothermia.

Elsewhere I can see that bears are less of a problem and perves are more of a problem.

 

[sanjuro]

One time I was night riding in Redwood park, which is in Oakland, when I come across a female jogger who had no lights and was listening to a walkman. I was thinking that was stupid.

 

[amydalayna]

maybe she was a perve! waiting to knock you off your bike and do naughty things to you in the bushes. i hope you were careful.

 

[sanjuro]

damn, i should have brought protection...

 

[TurnerGrl]

I don't have a problem with riding alone - just bring the cell phone and as has been mentioned, tend to be a little less aggressive. Many times, however, I am just alone in the "human" count - my two labs are almost always with me these days. Its amazing how lonely I feel on the few occasions that I am truly solo - watching their genuine joy at bounding down the trails just does that to me.

Splat, I do have to admit that one of the only times I totally creeped myself out was a solo night ride at 'Nam probably 5 years ago (well, okay...Jake my big lab was with me but he's an even bigger scairdycat than me!). I was on the doubletrack just before the beginning of the 3 Sisters trail when I heard something rustling in the woods and began to imagine all sorts of things that go bump in the dark!

 

[xgirrrrl]

in regards to riding alone. i do ride alone on xc runs all the time. i'm not at all scared about perves in the woods. i'm scared of bears and coyotes and such. so i always try and let my husband know where and where i'll be.

i think the riding alone thing depends on where you live.
I don't prefer to board or bike alone because if i get really hurt I don't want to get eaten (by critters) or die of hypothermia.

Elsewhere I can see that bears are less of a problem and perves are more of a problem.

I ride alone more often than not. And I also worry more about bears and mountain lions and rattle snakes, than I do about sickos and weirdos. But that is because Of where I live and ride.

 

[bikebabe]

Out in CA I used to ride alone all the time. The trails were well traveled and I knew if something happened (ie crash), someone would be around to help me if needed. I wasn't worried about sickos for the same reason---well traveled and I knew I could move faster than most. I did have wild creatures, including a bear, cross my path but fortunately they did not feel threatened.

The opposite is true here in MD. I do not ride alone mainly because I rarely see anyone on the trails (which is nice!) and I think it's safer to ride with someone. I'm mainly concerned about injuries and cell phones don't work in the areas I ride.

 

[bluebug32]

I don't mind riding alone and I actually enjoy it more sometimes. When I first started riding back in and getting to know the trails, I liked to have someone with me, mainly because I was worried I'd get lost or hurt. I don't worry too much now because I bring my cell phone and know the trails like the back of my hand. Some weirdo could just as easily nab be in a parking lot as on the trail and if I have to die, I'd at least like to be near my bike rather than holding a carton of milk

 

[amydalayna]

I ride alone more often than not. And I also worry more about bears and mountain lions and rattle snakes, than I do about sickos and weirdos. But that is because Of where I live and ride.

Hey, Where in Tahoe are you?

 

[skinny mike]

its not always just women who dont ride alone. i personally am not too fond of riding alone unless its a training ride, so that is about 10% of the time. i dont want to worry about getting hurt and being stuck in the woods. plus i always have more fun riding when i can joke around with other people and all that. but my mom does sometimes flip out about me riding alone because she thinks some sexual predator in the woods is going to get me. although there are a few places where i avoid riding alone, like harold parker near sunset.