Originally Posted by ticwanos
One more question to all -- What are your best - and worst - experiences with group rides. I'll bet there are some trancendental - and horrific - tales out there.
Riding with a group will provide distractions which may cause accidents. OTOH, group rides will provide help if you need it and the visibility of the group may make you a little safer from speeding cars. (iffy)
Biking long distances: Pace lines will increase your speed significantly. However, pace-lines are not for sight-seeing. You concentrate on this wheel one foot in front of you.
I did Pace-lines and Pelotons with the Michigan Wolverines. (as bcoppola posted above) The guys were very competitive and made it a quest to drop outsiders like me.
I did Pace-lines and Pelotons across the USA. That was a lifesaver for 150 miles/day against wind and driving cold rain.
I prefer solo rides or a loosely connected group. (Except on XC or fast centuries)