08-16-2016, 12:20 AM
(08-10-2016, 12:55 PM)rotor_imp Wrote: All my trips so far were solo wanderings. This summer I did 4.5 K kms loop with a friend (nice fellow!) who planned the trip day by day, booked accommodations, decided on stops for three meals a day...I'm with you; I reached that point many years ago. Nearly all the people I have ridden with over the years, with very few exceptions, ride competitively, erratically, unpredictably, or irresponsibly. Weekend Warriors and Keystone Cops, for the most part.
Now my problem is how to tell him we will no more ride together without offending him. Any suggestions?
I don't want no part of that stuff now.
There was one guy I rode with for over 20 years who was an exception. Completely reliable, skills nearly identical to mine, and I'll wager I rode 200,000 miles with this man, with not a single mishap. We used to tail chase all over the place and nothing but good times.
Unfortunately he started experiencing some family, financial, and health issues for a time and it affected his riding, so I had to stop riding with him, too.
The last 50,000+ miles of my riding (about 3 1/2 years) have been alone by choice and I like it that way. The only group rides I do are track days.
I enjoy being self-reliant. If I screw up, it's on me and me alone, which is why I am extremely meticulous about bike preparation, safety, training, and setup, which includes attitude and health. There will be no one there to scrape me up. If I am off even a little, I don't ride.
Most people like to socialize and they wonder what's wrong with a guy who prefers to be a "lone wolf"; me, I really appreciate those moments far from home in the further reaches of nature where I encounter another loner and we exchange a brief but knowing wave and then disappear in one another's mirrors. 'Nuff said.