How do you experience your solo training rides compared to the rides you are enjoying in a group? Or do you consider your group rides as training rides? I guess that it mostly depends on what you are aiming for by going out on the roads with your bicycle. Training, fun, socializing or simply enjoying the silence to sort out your thoughts...

My point is to start an open discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of riding by yourself compared to riding in groups if it comes to performance improvement. If this is even your target.

Lots of riders I know are simply happy to be out on a bike with their friends, riding to have fun and good times doing sports to improve their general health and enjoying the company of fellow cyclists.

Others are chasing the form and performance they target to achieve. Trying to improve the average speed and power they can maintain on their training rides. They find their motivation in permanently challenge themselves to break their own records and achieving personal bests on their rides.

What are the advantages and disadvantages if you are comparing solo rides to the rides done in groups?

If it comes to solo bike rides, you certainly have the advantage, that you are fully in charge, if it comes to the route, pace, and the breaks you want to go for. You can plan your rides accordingly and you can also change this plan during the rides according to your actual feeling.

Solo rides are a chance for a personal challenge to push yourself to the limits and achieve personal best times and targets. A push for your self-discipline. It gives you the opportunity for self-reflection and the comparison to rides you did in the past.

Finally, and in my opinion, this is the greatest of all advantages of solo rides, it gives you peace, silence, and time for yourself to enjoy the moments on the bike, enjoy the nature and landscapes around you and clear your mind without distractions.

On the other hand, solo rides are a bit more of a safety issue if it comes, and I hope this never happens to any of us, to an accident or emergency since you are alone out on the road. With a group around you, you would have some immediate support.

If you are riding long distances, it might sometimes get a bit boring during the rides and you like to have some personal interaction with your friends and cycling buddies. It mostly depends on how you handle silence and focus on your rides.

Sometimes we don`t feel as strong on as we are you used to do, and on these days, it can be tough to keep the motivation and focus on the performance when being on solo rides. Some words of encouragement could just be what is needed to keep going and push a little bit more.

When talking about group rides, we would surely eliminate the concerns regarding being alone in case of an emergency. Of course, this depends on whom you are riding with. No need to worry if you are out with some well-known friends. A group will always be more recognizable to the traffic as a solo rider will do. This brings some additional benefits in regards of safety on the roads.

Especially on longer rides, it`s an advantage to ride with others to not get bored and have the chance for some conversation along the roads. It`s more fun to enjoy some shared experiences, motivation, and camaraderie during rides.  

If it comes to higher paced rides, you have the opportunity of keeping your own pace higher as on solo rides because of the opportunity to draft behind your mates and save some serious amount of energy along the route. You can also learn from others in case you ride with groups including some more experienced riders.

On the other hand, this could also be a significant disadvantage in case you don`t choose a suitable group to ride with. If the average level of the group is too high for you, you might struggle to keep up and would eventually over-pace and being dropped at some point along the way. And even if you manage to hang on by staying in the back of the group drafting all the time, this wouldn`t be a great way to increase your performance. You need to balance your training correctly.

If the group members aren`t well aligned and known to each other, there might be some tensions regarding the pace, route, group alignment or other topics coming up. This would surely not be beneficial for the riding experience.

Besides that, too much conversation and having fun could distract from the goal, which is being active and training to achieve a better performance.

Most important is to know your personal goals and choosing the right approach to achieve them. It could be either by doing solo rides and regularly challenging yourself as best as possible, or doing group rides you feel comfortable with. Finding a good mix of leading the pack upfront setting the pace and then resting in the middle or at the end of it. The best way might even be a good mix of both since the fun and the training aspect should be equally satisfied to keep the motivation high for the next ride.

Sometimes a nice challenge between friends like a short sprint to the next gas station or a race to the top of steep climb can be fun and motivating!

Let me know your opinion on this matter or share your thoughts on mine.

Have a safe ride!!