When it comes to choosing how you wish to train on your bike, it all comes boiling down to your personal preferences. And honestly, the option that you choose depends a lot on the kind of personality you have in general and your mood at the very moment. Sometimes you may feel like riding solo and sometimes you may need your bike pack to hit the roads with.
So, before we go ahead and tell you what works and what does not when it comes to riding in the most ideal manner, come have a good understanding of both sides of the cycling ways with Spoke Herd.
Benefits Of Riding Solo:
- You are your boss: When you wish to ride alone, there are no rules. You can follow any route, destination to reach, cut the ride short or stretch it long and lastly take the road or hill not taken. Riding alone gives you the complete freedom to wander wherever you want to on your bike.
- You get to decide your own pace: When you are riding in a group, it becomes important to keep up with everyone’s speed and more or less follow the lead. However, when you are riding alone, there’s no such thing as that. You are your own master and you can ride with any speed and momentum you want to.
- You can hit breaks, pause and resume anytime and as many times as you want: When you ride solo, you get to cover the paths as per your convenience, stop and rest wherever you want to and you get to fuel yourself on your favorite spots as and how you like it. Solo riding has no hassles to halt, break and resume and requires no coordination from your end, even if you hate or do it out of a will.
- You feel less competitive and can ride in peace: Exercising to keep yourself fit and healthy isn’t a marathon to win. But in group rides, it might feel so. Riding in a group might make you feel conscious about your moves and speed and can put you in an uncomfortable position as a cyclist. And any cycling session should be fulfilling to you before anybody else. Riding solo allows you to be yourself throughout the ride without stressing over beating someone and getting all competitive when it’s not even required.
- Riding solo works the best if you are an introvert: If you are an introvert, you wouldn’t even consider going on group bike rides. The reason is simple, you like to be alone, even if it’s during your cycling sessions. You are free to enjoy the momentum of spinning around the streets, enjoy a little music while you are paddling, and not having to listen or do small talks with anybody.
Benefits Of Riding in A Group
- You can see a drastic change in yourself as a cyclist: This is because when you ride with a bunch of enthusiastic cyclists, you push yourself to keep up with everyone’s pace and energy. This transforms and allows you to step out of your comfort zone to get fitter and better.
- You exercise as well as learn: Riding in a group exposes you to other cyclists’ cycling tactics and knowledge. You end up learning and teaching a lot of things that may help you get better at your craft and that can lead you to achieve your health goals much faster.
- You learn to coordinate and develop good sportsmanship abilities: Being a sportsperson and an even great team player is what’s one of the tough qualities to develop. Group rides however are an effective way to learn this skill without going to apply for any professional coaching. Riding in batches or groups teaches you to be disciplined and take into consideration everyone’s best interests.
- You open up with other fellow cyclists: You get to ride with cyclists with varied cycling styles, who come and show you unique cycling techniques, and also who are more than happy to share all the wisdom with you. You interact and network with fellow cyclists which makes you feel motivated, happy, and confident as a cyclist.
- You can improve your cycling speed: When you ride in a group, all the cyclists are usually high on energy and are filled with high spirits. Everyone pushes themselves to paddle at the best of their capabilities trying to improve their average cycling speed which surprisingly works very well for those who actually want to enhance their cycling routines.
But What’s Better and Why?
Any form is better if you can make the most out of it.
As a cyclist, you can either excel in both of the forms because it’s ultimately up to you what you are churning out of the intensive cycling training you take.
So go ahead with the method that works the best for you. It can also be a sweet spot oscillating between the two. Whatever and however it is, don’t forget to give it your best shot.
