The Solo Ride – Peace On Blacktop

One of the things I love the most about the road bike is the ability to leave straight from my house and get in as many miles as my legs can handle. There is something about the solo road ride that is extremely peaceful but motivating at the same time. Yes…hitting 40+ mph inches away from your closest friends is a rush in itself, but what about those days where you just need to ride? You need those brief hours in your life to just take it out on the pavement. All you can hear is your breath, the wind and rubber gripping blacktop.

Everything gets into a cycle. Your breathing…your pedal strokes…how you get out of the saddle to hammer. Your only competition is yourself as you continue to push harder…finding you limits without the aid of the draft. Gripping the bars…listening to the chain shift down the gears as you rip through a twisty downhill. You can actually hear the tires as you push the limits. There is no conversation…just a challenge. You and the road…teeing off to see who blows up first.

It is out on the road on my own where my thoughts and stresses get left behind. It is my therapy…I don’t need a fancy chair and some stranger to spill my guts onto…I use the road for that.

Image by LATriBri