Cycling can be addictive. You could pretty much tell when casual weekend ride is no longer enough and this could probably be one of the signs of you're addicted. Then slowly you begin to intensify your frequency. When your buddies aren’t keeping up, that's where the solo ride urge kicks in. It will start with familiar, safe routes. Over time your confidence builds up and you'll start to venture on different cycling routes.
But then there is confident and overconfident. You’ve grown so comfortable that you’d ride solo without considering whether you riding choices are actually safe. There were a few incidents of crime involving cyclists on Silk Highway and LEKAS last couple of years. If you’re cycling alone on lonely route, or during quiet periods such as early morning or at night, you’re an easy target.
These crooks know you’d be bringing some cash, a phone and gadgets. They know the perceived value and there's demand for cool looking, branded carbon bikes. Some cyclists were knocked down from their bikes, hacked with machete or the likes. The point is, they don’t usually say “hello” before they attack and rob you. The threat of being robbed and hurt during solo ride is real and the “not going to happen to me” attitude will just increase the risk.
Other than that, there are stray dogs and flats. Dogs being dogs, they like chasing really fast-moving things, like people on bicycles. Sometime when you see a bunch of dogs across the road, wagging their tails getting all excited to see you, that's the "oh shit" moment. You really can't tell whether they meant business or "just kidding". There're a few websites providing tips on what to do if you're being chased by dogs. Just type the keywords on Google and voilà ! You'll find so many tricks other than pedalling like hell and yelling for help based on personal experiences, situation and types of dogs.
Sometimes you just need the quiet zone where you are on our own, cycling on the open road on own pace and time. Riding alone allows you to be more aware of your breathing, heart rate, pace and effort and you are free to set your workout targets you're comfortable with.
You need to be ready for all possibilities if you're cycling solo. Check your bikes, make sure that it's in mint condition. Bring along your toolkit, spare tubes, tube patch kits, hand-pump, mini pepper spay-for self defence, a fully charge phone and some cash. If you haven't learn how to change a flat, please do so. It's a good practice to stick to your familiar and safe routes where there're decent amount of traffic or people around. Let you friends know where you cycle, when you start, stop and arrive. Smartphone application such as Life360 (available on iOS, Android and Windows) allows you let your friends or family track your location in real time and it's free.
Happy cycling and be safe.
Mata-ne!
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