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The Loneliness Problem in Cycling: Why We Built CycleBuddy

CycleBuddy Team · Cycling & Community · 27 July 2026
The Loneliness Problem in Cycling: Why We Built CycleBuddy

Cycling media is full of group rides: the paceline in golden light, the café stop, the summit celebration. The reality for most riders is different — riding alone, again, not by choice. That gap is why CycleBuddy exists.

The problem nobody was solving

Tracking apps got brilliant at measuring rides. Route apps got brilliant at drawing them. But the most basic question in cycling — "who can I ride with, today, at my pace?" — had no answer. The riders were always there; the visibility wasn't.

Built by a rider who showed up alone

CycleBuddy started with too many rides that were supposed to be group rides and weren't. The fix seemed obvious: a map of joinable rides with honest pace labels, a chat for each one, and a planner smart enough to make any route work for any rider.

What it's become

Today CycleBuddy is a ride map and feed, per-ride group chats, ride recording on iPhone and Apple Watch, and a ride planner that fits every ride to your body and fitness — everything needed to turn nearby strangers into a crew.

Join the fix

If you've ever finished a beautiful ride wishing someone had seen it too — CycleBuddy was built for you. Free to use. Never ride alone.

Never ride alone again 🚴

CycleBuddy is free — find riders, join group rides and track every ride without paying a cent.

Get CycleBuddy on the App Store