5 Reasons Why I Bike Alone

This first appeared in my blog's original site.  I'll be reposting stories first published there once in a while.

Overlooking Taal Lake, Lipa City view

I find it mildly discomforting when neighbors, who are avid bikers like me, would chide me every time they, in their car or in some random errand would encounter me on the road on my bike, alone. “Tumira ka na naman mag-isa!” (So you went solo again!) or “Bakit ‘di mo naman ako dinaanan?” (Why didn’t you pass by my house so we could ride together?) are comments that I normally answer with a grin and some lame excuse like, “Akala ko kasi wala ka sa inyo, eh.” (I thought you were not at home.)

The truth is I enjoy biking alone and I can’t simply tell my neighbors why without sounding aloof or worse, disconnected. Here’s why I prefer to bike alone.

1. Me time
There are things that are better enjoyed shared, like a lively conversation between friends or a nice meal with a loved one, biking for me is not one of them. I’m a bit of an introvert but certainly not a recluse, so I’m a tad selfish when it comes to my me-time. Biking, for me, is like a good book that you read in some comfortable corner of your house or in some quiet coffee shop, you don’t need nor hope for company.

For some, like my wife for instance who I normally drop off in one mall and pick up in another, it’s like going around the shops not necessarily to ring the cash register but to browse unhurriedly and with no agenda in mind other than to pass away time. For others, like my wife again, it’s going to the Ukay-ukay (Thrift shop) and discovering cheap, yet seemingly priceless finds. In a hurried world, it’s the unexpected thrills that make me-times so wonderful and welcome. Everyone needs it, deserves it even.

So when I am on the road and people or other riders ask “Mag-isa ka lang?” (You’re riding alone?), with a tone that betrays mercy and concern for my solitude, I can only smile as if I’m in a happy place -- because I am.

2. Spontaneity
When I open the gate to our house and pedal the first 100 meters to the main street, I usually have 4 hours of me-time and options, not a plan, on how and where to spend it. I may turn right and hit the rough trail passing by farming communities or turn left to a military base where I would cross the airplane runway (prohibited, of course) before I hit the dirt trail around the base’s perimeter, or go straight further down till I hit the national highway and to the varied places and roads -- concrete, mud, dirt, rocks, or a combination of all -- that await me regardless if I turn left or right.

Though I may have passed any of these trails numerous times, it is the feeling of spontaneity that gives each ride such newness and, thus, anticipation. Riding with others takes away this impulsiveness as consensus must be had first before any option is taken, you can’t simply make an unexpected turn without considering others. The moment you stop and discuss what to do next is the moment you kill spontaneity. Which brings me to my next reason.

3. Wander and Wonder
The beauty of riding alone to nowhere in particular is that each trip serves as a blank page that I can fill with stories of unusual encounters or unexpected detours. Though I am not a person who gets surprised easily, I am one however who is a sucker for something out of the ordinary. Sometimes, I pass by little, seemingly unexplored trails simply because I am curious where it leads. Or at times, I stop by places that catch my interest or that of people local to the area. I also take note of interesting places that I, together with my wife, can visit in some future date. In fact, some of the most interesting places that we show house guests and friends, specially those from Manila or abroad, I discovered in one of my wanderings. Often, I simply keep my eyes and ears open as I fleetingly immerse myself in the daily goings on of ordinary people. If I’m lucky, I get to converse with people who are only too willing to share their stories.

These things you surely can’t do when you are with a bunch of sweaty guys, and occasionally girls, on a gaggle of bicycles attempting to blend with the local crowd.

4. Pressure-free, guilt-free ride
Riding in a group definitely offers plenty of advantages, and I wouldn’t mind being in such a group once in a while. But its biggest advantage is, for me, also its biggest disadvantage: You leave as a group and arrive as a group. Not everyone in a group is of the same riding physical or mental condition on any given trip. Sometimes you just feel too tired and aching for rest but you won’t because you know others would wait for you -- compromising the progress of the group. You don’t want to be the cause of such delay so you tend to push on and squeeze your body harder so you can keep up. On some days you feel that you can use a faster pace but realize that your speed should be within the bounds of the slowest rider in the group. To paraphrase that popular saying, a peloton is only as strong as its weakest biker. If you bike alone, you have no such worries as you are at tune with your body better and pedal at your own pace and rest at your discretion.

5. Work and commute
Work for most is a 2x2 meter cubicle, a table with a computer and paper and folders all around. As an entrepreneur and freelance copywriter, the road is an extension of my office. With pen and paper, plus a small digicam handily in my backpack I can use my time on the road to generate creative inspirations, or should I get lucky, stumble on stories that I can use either for my blog or my copywriting work. Being alone on the road, away from every one, makes it easier for me to get into that creative zone that has proven to become more difficult to locate when you are stationary in front of a computer.

I also use my bike to and from my place of business (I have a wall climbing facility inside a school), especially when I am not lugging around anything heavy or bulky. I get there quicker because I can weave around traffic, plus I get to save on gasoline -- about a liter a day, which when you multiply by the number of times I go there a week and I get significant savings on my fuel costs.


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