Riding alone...

I ride alone 100% of the time and most of the time I'm fine with it.  I've scoped out good routes with little traffic, good roads or nice wide shoulders.  Last week I went out for my longest ride ever ( don't laugh Ironmen, 33 miles!), way out in the middle of nowhere, just me, the cows and an occasional pickup truck.  I was very nervous for some reason.  I think I'll stick to doing double or triple loops closer to home....

I do almost all of my riding solo and prefer lightly traveled roads (luckily, we've got plenty of qualifying roads within a few miles of home).  Why lightly traveled?  I don't really want to compete with rush-hour type traffic, but I do want someone driving by every few minutes in case something happens. 

Make sure someone knows where you'll be and what time to expect you back.  My experience has been that most drivers around here are pretty courteous.  I have had an occasional jerk, but nothing that left me really worried for my safety.  I also carry my cell phone and wear ID. 

How much have you ridden?  (I haven't checked your logs.)  It could be a lack of bike handling skills/confidence.  If so, I'm sure somewhere nearby has a bicycle safety town (a place setup where kids can practice safe riding).  Take your bike over (don't worry if you're 20 years older than the kids) and practice.  They may have a place where you can practice swerving, stopping suddenly, etc. 

I ride early in the morning on the weekends.  I can take a lot of roads that would be near deadly during the week and see very few cars.  When I used to go after work on weekdays, I'd drive out to the country roads and just make sure I had enough fluids, a few basic tools, and a cell phone.

I have this fear too.  There is almost no way you can train for long distance races and not end up having to ride alone.  That nervous feeling is always there but it has gotten better over time.  I carry mace, my id, a cell phone and I try to find roads that I know other bikers will likley be on, even if it means driving a longer distance to ride there.  I also agree no head phones and make sure your family and friends know exactly where you will be riding and when you expect to be home.  For me, I am a little worried about crashing but I am more worried about some scumbag deciding to hurt me.  There was a very bad case here in Georgia where a woman was punched off her bike on a popular riding trail dragged into the bushes and murdered by a drunk crazed sex offender.  This is NOT a common thing at all and a crash is much more likely but still be alert of your surroundings.  I just use my fear to motivate me to ride faster

What if something happens to your cell phone?  Loses it's charge, gets wet, breaks?   Out of luck!  It's a good to carry ID with you as well.  I have a Road ID with my name, address, and 3 contact numbers.  Yes, I'm sure I could've come up with other creative ways to carry that information with me instead of spending the money for the Road ID, but it was the easiest way to get concerned family members off my back.  I also carry a cell phone with "ICE" numbers.