My thoughts on riding alone.

When I learned to ride a motorcycle it was never meant to be a social thing. I’ve always been a bit of a loner. Mostly I don’t care, I’ve grown used to it and I’m happy enough with my own company.

Today, though, I was out for the day with my family in the car. It was a gorgeous day; sunny and dry but not too hot. As we were driving towards Ross on Wye I counted many bikers out enjoying the weather and the opportunity that the long weekend afforded them.

Most of them were riding in groups and I felt a pang of longing to know what that must be like. It must be a great feeling to ride with a bunch of friends, to have a plan, to know that you’re meeting for a day in the saddle and to know where you’re going together and that you’re looking out for each other.

I love riding my bike but since the pandemic it never really feels like I have a reason. I do it because I like it, sure, but also to keep myself sharp and so I don’t lose my touch. I never know where I will end up or how long I’ll stay out on the road, so in a sense I feel like I ride just for the sake of riding, not because I have any particular purpose.

Maybe one day I’ll meet a couple of other riders whose company I enjoy, who knows? As much as I’d love to be out riding with others the last thing I want to do is hang out with people just because they ride - I’d rather ride alone than have superficial acquaintances based solely on motorcycling - there has to be much more substance to interpersonal relationships.

That said, though, it’s not a bad place to start and if people gel with each other beyond their mutual love of machines with two wheels then that’s a good thing, right?