How can I take less breaks on ride?

[Yazzoo]

drinking on the bike comes with practice, as does blowing your nose, I always carry a tissue in a jersey pocket, can't bring myself to 'snot rocket'!

Schedule an actual stop in the middle, be it a bench, cafe etc - somewhere you can properly stop, get off, fully recover and then set off again. Don't allow yourself to stop any other time (other than junctions!).

Going out with a friend is good advice, you'll be distracted and won't realise how far/fast you're going, and also if theres an ounce of competitive spirit in you you won't want to be the weaker one of the pair!

Try a different route, or change your mentality - sounds like you've already allowed this one to beat you in your head. If you do the same route decide at the beginning to really attack it, I don't mean go out hell for leather and keel over after half a mile, I mean mentally declare you won't be beaten by the route!

There is a hilly area (for Suffolk!) near me that I used to avoid all the while, I'd go miles further to go a flatter route as I'd struggled with it so much in the past. Then one day I went out with someone far better than me, following along having no say in the route, she headed for this hilly section and I knew I had to just get on with it and it went much better than I'd expected, the boost of confidence now means I choose to go this way and attack the hills rather than dread them!

 

[vickster]

I just stop to drink or blow nose unless the road is completely clear which is extremely rare where I ride. Mostly there are so many traffic lights that drinking isn't an issue. That said on a 10 mile ride, I may not drink anything much

I can get the bottle out of the cage ok while moving, less confident of not dropping while replacing, not good in traffic!

I ride for pleasure, I'm not a pro riding in a peloton, there are no reasons for me to stop as required. Pretty much any ride of mine will have at least one coffee stop. Indeed, a coffee meet up is often the main aim of the ride!

I don't often stop on the 'hills' I ride up but may do at the top. I did on one on Saturday, I did think I might need @jefmcg to call an ambulance as I felt close to expiring!