One of the most common questions that seemed to be asked during my Round Lake Erie and Round Lake Huron tours was if I was travelling all alone.
Most of the time it was asked with a tone of concern or puzzlement accompanied with constant glancing in the direction from which I came.
At first I responded by saying that it was only me. Later when the funny side of my personality came to the forefront I would reply with, "No there are three of us, Me, Myself and I". The look of relief, followed by puzzlement and then laughter always led to a great conversation since the ice was now broken.
Still the question is valid and usually comes down to one of the following variations:
So let's started by answering the questions about solo touring.
Solo Riding:
For me solo touring is seldom lonely since you have lots of opportunities to meet people. People will often approach you and talk to you when they see a solo rider while staying away if they see a group of riders approach.
This is even more common in a public campground. A good example was my visit to Tawas State Park in Michigan. I was invited to watch the sunset by one couple, three couples invited me to sit by their campfires to share stories and the next morning I received two separate breakfast invitations all without any asking or hinting on my part. Something about solo touring seems to bring out the gentler side of people when they meet you.
Another way to meet some incredible people is to watch for other riders on bikes out for a day ride. During my Round Lake Huron trip especially I spent an enjoyable couple of hours on several different days riding with people out for day rides. It gave me an excellant opportunity to see the local community while having an excellent conversation with someone from that community.
An extension of this is that I managed to ride with several Cross Canada riders during the same tour. There is something really motivating and awe inspiring about riding with people who are riding your dream tour.
When you tour by yourself you have the advantage of being able to have a rest day whenever you want. You can also stop for museums, art, local festivals, motels, campgrounds etc. Should you decide to go for a big distance day then that too is possible. All without needing to consult with anyone else.
Still solo touring has some potential issues. There is a bit more of a mental toll since all decisions need to be made by you. Physically you need to carry your own load and have the discipline and committment to meet your goals.
"When the times get tough, the tough keep going" is something you might want to remember on the odd, less then perfect, day.
Safety is one of those issues where it appears at first glance that you would be safer in a group. When riding alone you know how you will react in a bad situation and you have no one to worry about but yourself. This gives you a lot of flexibility.
Some studies about bear attacks appear to have shown that all recorded bear attacks have happened with group sizes of less then six people and single person groups have been the majority of cases. Still only approximately 36 people have died from bear attacks in the last forty years so I don't see this as an overwhelming safety issue. It's likely one that can be covered off by practicing proper bear safety techniques. This will be discussed in a later section of this article.
Group Riding:
Group riding is something I have also done. When you go on a group ride you have to consider group dynamics. These dynamics can often affect your own personal freedom depending on how you handle the issues that come up. As an example you might have to consider some simple issues like:
How do you handle wanting to start at 05:00 am and your buddy wanting to hit the road at noon?
Perhaps you want to end for the day at 16:00 while your friends would rather ride into the night.
Stop to eat lunch at a restaurant or cook something?
Camp or motel today?
Visit a museum or go for a long distance ride?
So many questions to consider!
There are lots of good sides through too. You get to ride with a friend and share conversations. Depending on your plans you may be able to share some items like stoves and tents reducing the amount of weight that you each have to carry individually.
When something breaks you have at the very least a useful sounding board as you try to work through the problem and at the best an absolute mechanical genius who can fix anything.
Headwind days can be mellowed by taking terms breaking wind. (Of course if you have chili for lunch or dinner then you can break wind then too in a very different way! (grin)).
Run out of water or snacks and need some? Perhaps your friends have some to share.
Of course if you are unlucky enough to have a dog chasing you instead of being faster then the dog you just have to be faster then your friends! (very big grin)
I've toured both ways and I like both for different reasons.
Here are some other viewpoints
"Things are much easier, and safer feeling with partners. I was very honored that Stephen and Gary both decided to join me on this trip. They were great companions at every point along the way!"
"The reality is that women face far, far more risks when touring alone than do men. Many groups I have encountered have more women than men - while almost every solo tourer has been male. I met a young Japanese women in Cincinnati in 1987 and a med student from Chicago up in Alaska in 2002, but the ratio is about 99 to 1."
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