A few bits of advice to give you – and your other half – the confidence to go it alone out there.

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1. Phone

If anything happens you need to able to phone a friend to come to the rescue. Or let them know you’ll be back later than expected.

2. Don’t rely on your phone

Phone’s get smashed. Phone batteries die (especially when running mapping apps). Phones bounce out of pockets. Make sure you could still get through your ride without having a functioning phone on you.

3. Money

Even the most well prepared of riders can sometimes run out of luck, so make sure you carry money or a credit card so you can get a train home or hail a cab.

4. Spare tube and pump

Riding on your own means you can’t rely on anyone else, so make sure you have a spare inner tube, pump, multi-tool and a chain tool.

5. Lights

Even if you don’t plan to ride in the dark, sometimes you can get caught out so it’s worth having at least a compact and reasonably powerful emergency lights.

6. Tell someone where you’re going

Either leave a note or tell them in person the general route/area where you’re going to riding. In this day and age there are GPS-based apps that your Other Half can follow your whereabouts and see where you are. Strava’s premium package has the Beacon function. The ‘Stay Safe’ app is worth looking at too.

7. Don’t alter how you ride

Don’t ride OTT obviously but similarly don’t ride under your usual pace or amplitude. Chances are you’ll ‘switch off’ and then have a massive stack that you were trying to avoid. Just ride like you usually do. Unless your ‘usual’ results in injuries. In which case, calm it down. Have a good ‘un!