Group Ride or Solo

By Jay Bartlett

Which is better, a group ride or a solo ride? Spoiler alert: it’s a bike ride, so both are great! There are benefits to both, and you will want to opt for one or the other depending on your agenda.

For instance, if you’re training for an event, a group ride probably isn’t going to be in sync with your training plan, and you may find yourself frustrated by the fun and “slower” pace the group is producing. If you have a specific workout in mind, you should ride solo, or partner with someone your same speed. It’s best to figure this out beforehand so that you don’t ruin the group ride with a bad attitude when everyone else decides it’s time to chat for a bit. Actually, a group ride can be a great “recovery” ride since those are usually a more casual day on the bike.

If there’s one thing that a group ride can really do well is to motivate you to get out for a ride. Feeling like a lump on the couch with no drive to get yourself out on the trails? Just let a group of riders know you’d like to join in. Fittingly, right about here, I put off finishing this article because my phone rang and the voice on the other end said, “Hey, Jay. Wanna go for a ride?” “Well, sure. Let’s go.” I hope that ride doesn’t make this article late. But hey, I couldn’t let down the group! Solo riding teaches you independence and self-reliance. You can get a long way from anywhere pretty fast on a mountain bike, so you need to be able to remedy problems that arise and have what you need to fix things or to keep your nutrition up. Instead of thinking you can count on your buddy (who always carries everything you’d ever need), you need to be that guy.

Group rides bring comradery. There is an ingrained sense of sharing on group rides, whether it be giving a tube or energy bar to someone in need or just sharing the excitement of a section well ridden. There is also sharing of information about trails you may be unfamiliar with. And learning by watching others is a great way to get better at the sport—something that doesn’t happen on solo rides. Solo rides are more internal. Group rides are more external. On a solo adventure, the rhythm of the trail can be meditative, or you can use the time to process the hard things the world throws at you. Usually, the harder the trail, the more internal you go. You may even start making deals with your body on particularly hard parts (the lure of a post-ride burrito goes a long way to getting you back to the About the Author Mountain bike veteran, trailhead). With groups, there is encouragement from the others and often more breaks (again, the chatting) to keep things light, which amateur filmmaker, and lover can help with the worries of the day. Solo, it’s all up to you to be your of long rides, Jay Bartlett has own cheerleader and to soldier on. been riding trails in Southern Utah for over thirty years. Jay has over a decade of Mountain biking can be whatever you make it. It can be an adventure into yourself or a party with friends. The important part experience as a bike mechanic is that you get out and live the experience. So suit up, load your bike, at St. George’s oldest bike shop, and hit a trail alone, or pick up your phone and ask a friend or two: Bicycles Unlimited. “Wanna go for a ride?”