I like to bicycle alone. Not everyone does. Many people need others to talk to so they are not lonely. That is one thing people often worry about. They ask me if I ever get lonely. Sure, I do. But there are so many people in the world and people I meet that I am usually never truly alone. Cycling alone through the country has it's pros and cons, but for me, I focus on the large amount of pros rather than the few cons. Even when I am riding my bike around my home town I usually tend to ride alone. Although I have recently met a girl who likes to ride her bike and have gone on a few rides with her which was very nice. It is a nice change of pace that way. To be sure, I am not against traveling in a small group or with another person.

If I find a friend or meet a girl who likes to ride and get married, then I would love to bicycle the country and the world with her. But for now, I cycle alone, and here's why: I am on my own schedule. That is the gist of it. All other reasons usually fall into that category. I am the only person I can count on. I can leave when I want, get up when I want, eat when I want. I can go as slow or as fast as I want, and I am a fairly slow rider and I take a lot of breaks. I take pictures and meet people. As a solo cyclist, I am easier to approach. I am less threatening than if I were in a group or even with one other person. It is easier to offer accommodation and food. People are intrigued more when they see me. They want to know why I am doing what I am doing. People tend to want to live vicariously through my adventures.

Cycling solo has its challenges too. I am perhaps more vulnerable out there. Cycling through the Nevada Desert last year my bike broke down and I was alone in the heat of the desert wondering what my next move was. Had I been with someone else, the comfort alone that I someone was with me would be enough to lift my spirits. But alone, I have to think myself. Two heads are better than one right? But cycling alone teaches me to rely on myself and no one else. Don't get me wrong, I talk to and pray to God all the time and He helps me out in dire situations. Also, sometimes I wish I was with someone so they could experience this too. The scenery, the wilderness, the vast views of God's creation are amazing and sometimes I wish I could experience it with someone, so someone else can see it. Pictures cannot do these places justice, but they will have to do, and I take a lot of photos. When I get sick on the road, it would be nice to have someone else there, but when I get a dizzy spell, no one else understands and others try to diagnose it and ask too many questions. Alone, I know what to do however grim it may be. And yes, cycling alone can be dangerous, but so can cycling with other people.

Therefore, solo bicycle touring isn't for everyone. I happen to enjoy myself. I leave early in the morning and go where I want. The following is an article from a solo touring cyclist and how he likes to cycle. This is but one way to do. Some of my ways overlap with his, but many are different. There are many ways to travel alone and many places to travel alone. How you do it is up to you. But I will say this, if you usually bicycle or travel with a friend, spouse or group, I urge you to give solo a try. I believe everyone should travel, or bicycle travel alone at least once. If you like it, great. If not, find your partner again. But give it a go; you may be surprised at what happens. Happy bicycling.

A few things about being a solo tour cyclist.

by Traveling Claus (www.travelingclaus.com)

Here I go again on my own with my bike.

I have been a solo tour cyclist in more than 30 countries and here are a few of my thoughts about being a solo tour cyclist around the world.

I like cycling alone.

Me, myself and my bicycle.

For me, tour cycling is a kind of meditation, where I slow down big time mentally and this is so much easier when you do not have someone who wants you to go either faster or slower. I am in general quite happy about being alone and it does not motivate me more to cycle in a group. I cycle slow, but I am so stubborn that I always reach my goal no matter what, so I do not need a group of people in order to cycle a few thousand kilometers.

I like being able to have my own weird routines.

I cycle slow and take my rests and i can do this as a solo tour cyclist.

I have some routines, or maybe more lack of routines that tend to make most other tour cyclists shake their heads. I like getting up late in the morning and then spend a couple of hours having breakfast, while I am reading, checking e mails and such before I hit the road. When I hit the road, I am often cycling very slow and taking many breaks. But I tend to spend many hours on the road every day, so I get my 75 to 100 kilometers in the end, but I do things a little different, because I do not really like speed and my bicycle trips are not some illusion that I am on some macho trip that I call an expedition, in order to impress other people. I cycle around the world, cause I think iy is fun and not to prove something to the world.

I am not lonely as a solo tour cyclist.

I’m a social cyclist.

I am a person who needs both my alone time and my social time and for that reason, being a solo tour cyclist is perfect for me. I spend most of the day in the saddle, all by myself with my thoughts and then at night I stay in a town where I head out to meet some random strangers I come across there. I am a person who likes to walk in to a bar in an unknown town all by myself, cause I am good at striking up a conversation with people and is in general a very open person and I find that it’s harder to do that when you are two or more, cause people assume that you then want you privacy, while a guy who is on his own is easier to approach.

Accommodation as a solo tour cyclist.

My bicycle in a hotel room.

I am mostly staying in smaller roadside hotels, guest houses and so on, when I am tour cycling around the world. If I am in northern Europe or in USA/Canada, then I often camp, because of the price of accommodation and the camp sites at US state parks and state beaches, often have a hiker/biker area, which is not just cheap, but usually also a very social place, where you can hang out with a few other solo tour cyclists. But I am not the kinda guy who camps wild. I simply have no desire to sit alone in my tent the whole evening and talk to myself and my bike. And I am not happy to walk in to town if camping wild as your stuff is a lot more at risk of getting stolen, if you camp in some unofficial place, where there is zero staff looking after the place.

Is tour cycling alone dangerous?

The world is fortunately a very friendly place.

I have cycled tens of thousands of kilometers over the years in countries like Syria, Mexico, Brazil, Albania, Lebanon, Cambodia, just to mention a few places and I have never had a situation where I thought that I was in danger because I was alone. I had one situation in Vietnam 14 years ago, where I was attacked with rocks, but that was not because I was alone, but because I made a wrong move at the wrong time and this situation would most likely have happened even if I had been in a group. I got away from the situation though without having anything stolen. I just got a few bruises because of the rocks they threw after me, but it had nothing to do with being alone.

My final verdict about tour cycling alone.

Cycling the world is the best.

In my opinion, it’s perfectly suitable to tour the globe alone by bicycle, but it’s all about how you are as a person. Some people need another person in order to not give up, or not be bored on the road for instance and it’s the best option for these people to bike together with other people.

But talking for myself, I am really happy about touring on my own and I am totally happy if I find a girlfriend who does not care about cycling, as long as she is ok with me doing it and I will have no worries if she prefers to take the bus or the train between the towns while I cycle. This is just the way I am and I’m damn happy with it.

Happy cycling everyone.

Perfect Circles - Bicycle Journeys

Sunday, May 8, 2016

A Case for Going Solo