Escapism, independence and empowerment. Solo cycling is among the many underrated joys of road and gravel cycling.

From short spins to long distances, riding alone can provide fun and spontaneous adventures on the bike, and also offer you some highly personalised training opportunities.

But cycling solo is also a skill that benefits from a dedicated approach to pre-ride planning.

From how to stay focused when riding without company to the best training drills to target on solo rides, we reveal 10 ways to smash your solo spins.

1. Embrace your independence

Enjoy freedom, spontaneity and some motivating new adventures.

Head to that village you’ve always wanted to visit, ride when it suits you or create an entirely new route.

“Have a new adventure in a familiar area,” suggests coach Richard Rollinson of CPT Cycling.

“You could seek out roads that you may fly past on a group ride: a smaller road, more inconsistent terrain or somewhere completely different, for instance.”

2. Boost your navigation skills

On group rides, it’s easy to blindly follow others, but solo rides encourage you to tune up your navigation skills.

Thanks to the best bike computers and route-planning apps such as Komoot, it’s easy to plot new routes and get directions.

But paying attention to directions, turn-offs, gradients and wind during solo rides will also make you a sharper rider come event season.

And don’t forget to make yourself as visible as possible on the road – and tell others what your planned route is.

3. Inject additional targets

To stay focused on solo rides, add in some mid-ride goals, such as targeting certain climbs or speedy flat roads.

“For example, create a route with a climb as a target destination,” says Rollinson.

“This helps to break up your ride into sections, each with a different mental focus, such as some flat riding, a climb, a descent and a fast, flat finish.”

Rather than three hours of the same riding, you now have a structured, targetable solo training session.

4. Rig your route

Be prepared to play mind games for extra motivation when riding solo.

On training rides back home in Yorkshire, British pro Lizzie Deignan would deliberately plot out-and-back loops so she couldn’t take a short cut home.

“It stops you getting tempted to quit early,” she explains.

Breaking down bigger distances into smaller sections so you can tick them off as you go is another useful trick, as is thinking about different areas of technique, or your cadence or breathing for example.

5. Be self-sufficient

Solo rides are much more fun if you feel confident and prepared.

“You may need extra bike-repair skills as you are reliant on yourself,” says Rollinson.

Freshen up your skills by watching YouTube videos, and pack essentials such as tyre levers, Allen keys, a pump, patches and inner tubes.

A saddle bag can be a useful bit of kit to help stop your pockets bulging too much.

Using tubeless tyres can help to cut out those forlorn spells spent fixing punctures alone by the side of the road.

6. Audition your new kit

Solo cycling is the ideal time to test new kit, clothing and devices because you can tinker and adjust things without holding up other people.

“Solo riding gives you time to get used to a new component or position,” says Rollinson.

“For example, if you have cleats in a new position, you will not be stuck on a group ride wishing you could pull over to adjust them.”

Facing headwinds on solo rides can also help you sharpen up your aerodynamics.

7. Push your solo stamina

“Group-ride pacing is more varied, with turns on the front and recoveries, but on solo rides you have to maintain a steady pace for longer,” says Rollinson.

“This builds your endurance at a consistently higher rate, helping to develop aerobic capacity and mental toughness.”

He suggests a two-hour solo ride at tempo pace in Zone 3, within 76-88 per cent of your Functional Threshold Power.

You can also establish your tempo pace with heart rate zones. Start in your upper Zone 2 heart rate (76-83 per cent) and slowly drift up to your lower heart rate Zone 3 (83-90 per cent).

“Progress ride duration weekly,” Rollinson advises.

8. Mix up your motivation

Your motivation may drift on longer solo rides, but sprint intervals and hill reps can work well.

“You can develop another dimension to your fitness with Fartlek rides,” suggests Rollinson.

“That isn’t as easy to do on group rides.”

Rollison recommends the following exercises:

• Sprints: 10 secs at 8-10 Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scored out of 10, with 10 being the maximum effort
• FTP efforts: 20 minutes at 90 per cent of FTP
• VO₂ max efforts: 5 minutes at 105-120 per cent FTP or 8-10 RPE

You can also try a mix of these three workouts.

“Or, to keep things really simple, just sprint for road signs,” Rollinson says.

9. Stay safe

Cycling is a safe sport, but some solo riders feel more confident by taking a few peace-of-mind precautions.

For example, a 2021 survey revealed that 41 per cent of women in the UK have concerns over road safety or cycling alone.

Cycling apps such as RoadiD and Strava Beacon enable you to share your live location with family or friends.

Listening to music isn’t advisable on busy roads, but on quiet country lanes some riders use only their left (non-roadside) earplug, or bone-conduction headphones as a compromise between musical motivation and traffic awareness.

10. Play around

Riding solo is also a great chance to do playful training you wouldn’t try on a group ride.

“I have done one-armed climbing, trying to keep my body as still as possible while I’m climbing, which works the core,” says Deignan.

“I’ve also done fixed-gear sprints by staying in the same gear and sprinting hard.”

On solo rides, you’re free to do whatever you want, so have some fun.

Solo cycling holidays

Check out these UK adventures to tackle on your own.

Lakeland Loop

The 111km Lakeland Loop, which follows the sportive of the same name, showcases the majestic scenery of the Lake District to keep you entertained.

Elan Valley Loop

The 103km loop around the Elan Valley knits together the lush woodland, sparkling reservoirs and gritty mountains of mid-Wales for a glorious solo escape.

Applecross Peninsula

With dreamy vistas over the sea to Skye and a climb up the mighty Bealach na Ba, this 96km Scottish classic is a uniquely atmospheric adventure for solo cyclists.

More solo cycling inspiration

If you’re looking for more solo cycling inspiration, check out our guide to bikepacking routes and our archive of routes and rides.