You've done this. Ridden out the door on a Saturday morning with no plan, no route, and come back three hours later wondering what exactly that achieved. Maybe your legs are tired. Maybe they're not. You definitely ate too little. You definitely spent the last 45 minutes thinking about lunch instead of anything resembling structured training.
Solo riding gets a bad reputation. It's treated as the fallback — what you do when nobody's available, when the club ride doesn't suit, when your schedule is too awkward for group starts. Nobody tells you this but solo riding, done properly, is one of the most effective training strategies available to amateur cyclists. More effective, in many cases, than the group ride that half the peloton treats as a race and the other half treats as a social.
The catch is that riding alone requires more preparation, more discipline, and a different set of habits than riding in a bunch. Safety. Pacing. Structure. Nutrition. Mental focus. All of these change when you remove the group — and all of them are fixable.
This is how to make solo riding work for you.
Why solo riding deserves more respect
There's a reason Joe Friel has been telling athletes for decades that the bulk of productive training happens alone. In a group ride, you don't control the pace. You respond to surges, sit in the draft, match accelerations that have nothing to do with your training plan, and end up in that grey zone between zone 2 and threshold that produces fatigue without a clean stimulus.
Solo, you control everything. The pace. The effort. The intervals. The recovery. The route.
John Wakefield made this point when talking about how BORA-hansgrohe structured training blocks: the group sessions had a specific purpose — race simulation, team tactics, morale. But the work that built fitness happened in solo hours, on specific sessions, at specific intensities.
For time-crunched riders — and if you're between 35 and 55 with a career and a family, that's most of you — solo riding has an additional advantage. You ride when you can. Early morning. Lunch break. Late evening. You don't need to coordinate with six other people's schedules. You don't need to ride an extra 20 minutes to the meeting point and 20 minutes back. Every minute on the bike counts toward the session.
That's not a consolation prize. That's an advantage.
Safety first — because nobody is coming to find you
This is where solo riding demands more thought than group riding, and where too many riders are casual about things that matter.
When you crash in a group, someone sees it. Someone calls for help. Someone knows roughly where you are. When you crash alone on a quiet country road at 6:30am, nobody knows anything until someone starts wondering why you're not home yet.
Let me be really clear about this: safety preparation for solo riding is not optional. It's not paranoid. It's the minimum.
Share your route before every ride
Every single ride. Not just the big ones. Use whatever works — Garmin LiveTrack, Strava Beacon, Apple's Find My, WhatsApp location sharing. The tool doesn't matter. What matters is that someone who cares about you can see where you are in real time, or at a minimum knows your planned route and expected return time.
Set up a standing arrangement with your partner, a family member, or a riding mate: "If I'm not back by X time and I haven't messaged, start with my last known location." This takes thirty seconds to establish and could be the difference between a quick rescue and hours lying in a ditch.
Carry an ICE card on your person
Your phone might be smashed. It might be locked. It might be in your jersey pocket under you. An ICE (In Case of Emergency) card tucked into your helmet, taped to your stem, or kept in a visible pocket on your jersey gives first responders what they need: your name, emergency contact number, blood type, allergies, and any medical conditions.
You can buy laminated ones. You can make one from a piece of card and packing tape. The format is irrelevant. Having it is what counts.
Visibility is not just for winter
Front and rear lights. Daytime. Every ride. The data on daytime running lights is clear — they reduce the risk of being hit by a driver significantly. A rear light in steady or pulsing mode is visible from further away than any hi-vis jersey, and it works in every light condition.
Combine lights with clothing that isn't entirely black. You don't need to look like a traffic cone, but a jersey with some contrast — white, bright colours, reflective elements — makes a measurable difference on roads where drivers aren't expecting cyclists.
What to carry — the solo rider's checklist
The minimum kit for any solo ride:
- Phone, fully charged, with ICE details on the lock screen
- ICE card on your person
- Front and rear lights (charged)
- Mini pump or CO2 inflator plus spare cartridge
- Spare inner tube (two for rides over 80km)
- Tyre levers
- Multi-tool with Allen keys and chain tool
- Food and water for the full planned duration plus 30 extra minutes
- Small amount of cash or a bank card — for the cafe, for the emergency taxi, for the thing you didn't plan for
- Basic first aid: a couple of adhesive dressings and antiseptic wipes take up almost no space
For rides in remote areas or changing weather, add a packable rain jacket and an emergency foil blanket. They weigh almost nothing and the one time you need them, you'll be very glad they're there.
Pacing without a peloton
What nobody mentions about solo riding is how different the pacing feels. In a group, the pace is externally regulated. You match the wheel in front. The surges and lulls happen around you. Your effort varies, but you're rarely making conscious decisions about intensity for extended periods.
Solo, there's no anchor. No wheel to follow. No surge to match. Just you, the road, and whatever number is on your cycling computer.
This is simultaneously the biggest advantage and the biggest trap of riding alone.
The drift problem
Without external pacing cues, most riders drift above their intended effort. Not by a lot — maybe 10 to 15 watts on a zone 2 ride. But that drift compounds. A zone 2 session that drifts into low tempo for two hours doesn't produce a zone 2 stimulus. It produces grey-zone fatigue — too hard to be recovery, too easy to be a meaningful training stress. Joe Friel calls this the most common mistake amateur cyclists make, and it's worse when riding alone because there's nobody to tell you to ease off.
The fix is simple in principle and requires discipline in practice: pace by numbers, not by feel.
Power is your best friend solo
If you have a power meter, use power zones as your primary pacing tool. Set your target before you leave the house. Check it every 10 to 15 minutes. When you notice the number creeping up — and it will, especially on rolling terrain or into a headwind — bring it back deliberately.
The conversation with yourself goes like this: "The target is 180 watts. I'm riding 195. That feels fine right now but it won't feel fine in an hour. Back it off." That's it. That's the whole skill. Noticing the drift and correcting it before it costs you.
Heart rate as the honesty check
If you don't have a power meter, heart rate zones are your next best option. Heart rate is slower to respond than power — it takes a couple of minutes to settle after an effort change — but it's honest. It reflects what your body is actually doing, not what you think you're doing.
For zone 2 riding, the heart rate ceiling matters more than the floor. Set a cap — typically 75% of your maximum heart rate — and treat it as a hard limit. When it drifts above, ease off before you justify the overshoot. On hot days, in headwinds, or when you're fatigued, heart rate will be higher at the same effort. That's data, not a reason to ignore it.
RPE has a role — but not the lead role
Rate of perceived exertion works well in a group because the social context calibrates it. Alone, RPE drifts. What feels like a 6 out of 10 at the start of a ride feels like a 4 out of 10 an hour in, and you speed up without realising. Use RPE as a third check, not the primary tool. The classic test: if it's supposed to be zone 2, can you speak in full sentences? If you're riding alone, say something out loud. If you can't get through a sentence comfortably, the effort isn't zone 2.
Structured solo sessions that actually build fitness
The single biggest waste in amateur cycling is unstructured solo miles. You ride for three hours, average some vague middle-ground effort, accumulate TSS that your software counts but your body doesn't really adapt from, and call it training.
Here's where it gets really interesting: the same three hours, with a structure applied to it, can be worth double in terms of actual physiological adaptation.
The zone 2 long ride
Purpose: Aerobic base, fat oxidation, mitochondrial development.
This is the ride most people think they're doing but aren't. A true zone 2 long ride means staying below 75% of maximum heart rate or in the lower portion of your power zones for the entire duration. No surges on climbs. No sprinting for signs. No "I'll just push a bit here because it feels good."
Solo is the best context for this ride because there's nobody to chase. Structure it with a purpose: every 30 minutes, check your numbers and your breathing. If either has drifted, correct it. The discipline of holding back when you feel good is the actual training stimulus — you're teaching your aerobic system to do the work without the anaerobic system jumping in.
Duration: 2 to 4 hours, depending on your fitness and available time. Even 90 minutes of genuine zone 2 is productive.
The solo interval session
Purpose: Threshold development, VO2max stimulus, or sweet spot work depending on the session.
Solo intervals are where training alone actually outperforms group rides. You warm up properly (most group rides skip this). You hit the effort at the right intensity (not the intensity dictated by someone else's attack). You recover fully between intervals (not cut short because the group is rolling on).
A solid solo interval session:
- 15-minute warm-up — progressive from zone 1 to zone 2, finishing with two 30-second openers at threshold
- Main set — this varies by goal. Four 8-minute efforts at sweet spot with 4 minutes recovery. Or six 4-minute VO2max efforts with 4 minutes recovery. Or two 20-minute threshold blocks with 10 minutes easy between them.
- Cool-down — 10 to 15 minutes easy spinning
The session takes 75 to 90 minutes. It's focused, measurable, and you can track progression week on week.
The tempo exploration ride
Purpose: Sustained aerobic power, mental stamina, route knowledge.
Pick a route with some variety — some flat, some rolling, maybe one sustained climb. Ride the whole thing at tempo — zone 3, roughly 76 to 90% of FTP. This is harder than zone 2 but below threshold. You should be able to speak in short sentences but not hold a conversation.
This session builds the ability to sustain a moderate effort over long periods, which is exactly what a sportive or gran fondo demands. It's also a good mental training session because tempo is uncomfortable enough to require focus but not hard enough to be obviously painful.
Duration: 90 minutes to 2.5 hours.
The recovery spin
Purpose: Active recovery, blood flow, keeping the legs turning without adding fatigue.
This one is almost impossible to do properly in a group because someone always pushes the pace. Solo, it's easy: zone 1, low cadence if you want, absolutely no effort spikes. Thirty to sixty minutes. It should feel almost too easy. If it doesn't feel too easy, it's too hard.
The mental game — staying sharp when it's just you
Training alone for three or four hours tests your focus in ways that group riding never does. In a bunch, the environment changes constantly — conversations, wheel movements, road furniture, tactical decisions. Solo, it's you and your thoughts, and after about 90 minutes those thoughts start wandering somewhere that isn't helpful.
This is a trainable skill, and it matters. The riders who execute well in long events are the ones who can stay mentally present for hours at a time. You build that capacity in solo training.
Block your ride into segments
Don't think about the whole ride. Break it into blocks. The first hour has one focus — maybe it's pedalling technique, smooth circles, relaxed upper body. The second hour has another — maybe it's nutrition discipline, eating every 30 minutes on the dot. The third hour is about maintaining power targets when the legs start to complain.
Each block has a specific focus. When your mind wanders, you have something to come back to.
Use process cues
Process cues are short mental instructions that direct your attention to something useful. "Soft hands." "Drop the shoulders." "Breathe from the belly." "Light on the pedals." These are the same tools used in mental toughness training for cycling, and they work as well against boredom as they do against pain.
Rotate through them. When one stops working, switch to the next. The goal isn't to think about technique for four hours straight — it's to have an anchor when your focus drifts.
Music and podcasts — with caveats
For zone 2 rides on quiet roads, a podcast or music in one ear can help pass the time without affecting the training stimulus. One ear only, volume low enough to hear traffic. Never on busy roads. Never during intervals — hard efforts deserve your full attention, and the ability to sit with discomfort without distraction is part of what you're training.
For what it's worth, I did this myself for years — long zone 2 rides with a single AirPod, listening to whatever was interesting. It works. But the moment the effort goes above zone 2, the AirPod comes out.
Landmarks and micro-goals
On familiar routes, use landmarks as checkpoints. "I'll ride easy to the crossroads, then start the first interval at the church." On unfamiliar routes, use time or distance markers. "Next food stop at 45km." These micro-goals break the monotony and give your brain something to anticipate.
Navigation and route planning
Getting lost solo is a different proposition to getting lost in a group. In a group, it's an adventure and a story. Solo, at 5pm, in fading light, with your phone at 12% battery, it's a problem.
Plan before you go
Know where you're going before you leave the house. This doesn't mean memorising every turn — it means having a route loaded on your GPS device or phone, with turn-by-turn navigation if your device supports it.
The best cycling computers all offer route navigation now. Garmin, Wahoo, Hammerhead — they all sync with route-planning apps and show you where to go. If you're using a phone, mount it securely and use offline maps so a dead signal doesn't leave you guessing.
Loops vs out-and-back vs figure-of-eight
Loops give variety but commit you to the full distance. If you crack at the halfway point, you're still the same distance from home as when you started.
Out-and-back routes are safer for solo riders. If you're not feeling it at 30km, you turn around. You're always getting closer to home on the return leg. The downside: the same road twice can be mentally flat.
Figure-of-eight routes are the best compromise. You cross your starting point (or near it) at the midpoint, giving you a bail-out option, but the second half is different terrain. For solo rides, this is my preferred option.
Know your escape routes
When riding in areas you know, identify bail-out points along the route — shortcuts home if the weather turns, if you bonk, if a mechanical can't be fixed roadside. When riding somewhere new, study the map before you leave and note the major roads that lead back to your start point.
Share your route with someone, not just your device
Worth repeating: your GPS tracking is useless for safety if nobody's watching it. Make sure someone — partner, housemate, friend — knows you've gone out and has access to your live location.
Nutrition and mechanicals — you are your own support crew
In a group, someone usually has a spare tube. Someone has a pump that actually works. Someone reminds you to eat. Someone has gels in their pocket you can borrow.
Solo, it's all on you. The good news is that being self-sufficient is simpler than most people make it.
Nutrition planning
The number one nutritional mistake solo riders make is under-fuelling. Without the social cue of seeing someone else eat, it's easy to forget. And when you're focused on the road and the effort, an hour can pass without a single calorie going in.
The fix is a schedule. Use the fuelling calculator to work out your carbohydrate needs, then set a timer on your cycling computer or watch. Every 20 to 30 minutes, eat something. Every 15 to 20 minutes, drink something. This is not optional for rides over 90 minutes.
Pack more than you think you'll need. A rule of thumb: plan your nutrition for the ride, then add 30 minutes' worth of extra food. Solo, you can't borrow from a mate when you miscalculate.
For rides under 90 minutes, water and a gel or two in the pocket is enough. For anything longer:
- 60-90g of carbohydrate per hour from a mix of gels, bars, and drink mix
- Water or electrolyte drink — 500-750ml per hour in moderate conditions, more in heat
- Real food for rides over 3 hours — rice cakes, sandwiches, whatever sits well in your stomach
Mechanical self-sufficiency
Every solo rider needs to be able to fix a flat tyre confidently. If you can't do this yet, practise at home before you need to do it roadside in the rain. It takes 10 minutes to learn and it's the single most common mechanical you'll encounter.
Beyond a flat:
- Dropped chain — know how to get it back on without tools (lift the rear derailleur, pedal gently forward)
- Skipping gears — usually a cable tension issue. The barrel adjuster on most derailleurs can fix this roadside
- Loose bottle cage or cleat bolts — the multi-tool handles these
- Chain break — this is the one that ends your ride if you don't carry a chain tool and know how to use it. A quick-link in your saddle bag is cheap insurance
For anything beyond these basics, the answer for a solo rider is usually to call someone. Know the number for a local taxi firm that takes bikes, or have a backup plan with a family member who can come and get you.
When to ride solo vs when to find a group
Solo riding and group riding aren't competing options. They're different tools for different jobs, and the best training programmes use both.
Ride solo when:
- You have a specific structured session to do — intervals, zone 2 discipline, threshold work. The group will disrupt the structure.
- You need to ride at an odd time — early morning, lunch break, late evening. Don't skip the ride because you can't find company.
- You need a recovery ride — properly easy. Groups don't do easy.
- You want to build mental resilience — long solo rides train the ability to stay focused and self-manage, which is directly transferable to racing and events.
- You're working on pacing discipline — learning to hold a steady effort without external cues is a skill that pays off on every sportive start line.
Ride with a group when:
- You need race simulation — surges, tactical decisions, riding in close proximity. You can't simulate this alone.
- You want to practise drafting and bunch skills — essential for anyone doing road races, crits, or group sportives. See the group ride etiquette guide for the fundamentals.
- Motivation is low — some days, the accountability of meeting others at 7am is the thing that gets you out the door. That's legitimate.
- You want to ride somewhere new — exploring unfamiliar routes is more enjoyable and safer with company.
- It's a social ride and the purpose is enjoyment — not every ride needs to be training. Coffee rides have value.
A practical weekly split
For a rider doing 8 to 12 hours per week — a typical volume for a serious amateur — a sensible split might look like:
- 3-4 solo sessions: one long zone 2, one interval session, one tempo or sweet spot session, one optional recovery spin
- 1-2 group rides: one structured chain gang or club ride, one weekend social or exploration ride
That gives you the controlled training stimulus from solo work and the skills, motivation, and variety from group riding. Adjust the ratio based on your goals — more solo work during build phases, more group work when an event is approaching and you need to sharpen your bunch skills.
Making it a habit
The riders who get the most from solo training are the ones who treat it as a deliberate practice, not a default. They plan the session before they kit up. They prepare the nutrition the night before. They share their route before they roll out the door. They review the numbers afterwards and ask whether the session achieved what it was supposed to.
None of this is complicated. It's just preparation — the same kind of preparation you'd bring to any serious pursuit.
Solo riding, done well, is where the fitness gains happen. It's where you learn to pace yourself honestly, to stay mentally present through discomfort, and to be self-reliant when things go sideways. Those are skills that make you a better cyclist in every context — on the solo ride, in the group, and on the start line.
You can go and do them this week.
Inside Not Done Yet, solo riders aren't on their own. We share routes, training plans, and accountability — so even when you're riding alone, you're part of something. Join us.