Fifty Plus (50+) - Solo vs. Group rides

Several years ago (about 5-6 actually) I got back into cycling after an 8 yr. absence. Although I had ridden with friends in the past, it was usually three or four of us and sort of impromptu. Then I discovered a club near me with people I knew and liked. The club was relatively new and starting to build a base of riders. So, my gf and I rode with the club on Saturday mornings for a couple years. We were doing the B ride which meant about 40-50 mi. at 15-16 mph. Over the years the group morphed into variations of the B ride as in B-, B, B+, etc. This is a really good group. No one gets dropped and everyone is willing to help another rider anytime/anywhere. Good people. But.....the rides started to get longer and Saturdays became a day dedicated to riding. By mid-season rides are 60-70 mi. and it becomes an endurance ride IMO. With an 1/2 hr. drive to the meetup site, 5 hrs. riding and 1/2 hr.drive home it was 6 hrs. out of the day. Then there was the 1 hr. stop midway on the ride for donuts or ice cream or whatever. I hate getting back on the bike after a long stop so it kind of sucks for me. We began to phase out of club rides. Last year we rode twice. I still get my 100 mi. a week but now it's mostly solo with a ride a week with my gf. Just wondering if anyone else has had that happen.

Happen here too, we had a great group of riders maybe 17 - 20 riders but it slowly started to change as new riders came in, we are an older group with average age around 60 some as old as 74. Slowing new people started joining our group.(younger and faster) We first started out riding thirty miles and having a social at someone house with everyone bringing something to pass. Then it increased to a forty mile ride which is no problem for most but some struggled. We also had a no drop rule until one day riding along the lake front the pace picked up and one rider was dropped. I dropped back and rode with him the last twenty miles and the group was no where in sight. We got back to the start and everyone was already eating and having a good time. I was pissed and and so was the older rider, haven't ridden with the group since. I now ride mostly by myself or with my wife on the weekends.

The group I ride with splits before the ride. We break into groups, some as small as two, based on the speed and distance. I can usually find a group that suits what I want for the evening. The two extremes are 10-12 mph about 15 miles and about 18 mph for 50 miles. Then there's different groups in between

-universal-

:)

In Chico there is well established practice series, which I miss greatly. The weekend group Corsa group rides split off into groups; the Velo rides regroup, and the leaders talk to everyone.

Here in SLO there are many established group rides, no practice series. Typically I roll out when the weather, conditions, and my own schedule suit.

I will join the groups from time to time, heh. What seems universal, show up on time, address all present, wishing "Good Morning/Afternoon," which is ...ignored. Someone who is also on the "out" may speak to me. Some folk's disdain is downright comical. From there, you may discover how the ride is run as it happens.

The Tuesday night heats up at several points, which, if you are new, you'll find out where and when that happens. The several people dropped that I picked up did speak to me, but not when the rest were around - so weird.

The Sunday morning Foothill is too slow, but o.k. for an post exhaustion recovery ride.

In short, one has to keep showing up to become recognized as a human being and figure out what it's about, the routes, "rules," etc.

There are rides out of Los Osos that are super friendly, the Poly Wheelmen have a very personable leader (some of the riders are sketchy, watch your front wheel!!).

With others, I like to be challenged and have social fun/interaction.

Keep looking!

Just reading about all this effort to find a satisfactory "group" to ride with leaves me exhausted without even bicycling! I prefer to put my effort into bicycling and doing the things I enjoy while bicycling, not what someone else dictates.

I hope I didn't give the impression that the club members are dolts because they absolutely aren't. It's just that I want to go out and do a 40-50 mi. ride at 15-16 mph with no stops. Unless of course someone has to stop. Right now I can find a 40 mi. group but it's at 12-13 mph or a 15 mph group but it's for 60 mi. This is all mid-season stuff. So, I've taken to a 35 mi. ride on Sat. with my gf at 15 mph and a couple 25-35 mi. rides during the week at whatever pace I'm into. And, one day a week I do my 15 mi. TT as hard as I can just to stress myself. The TT is actually my favorite ride. Just something about the "Race of (my) Truth" that I love.

I also ride with groups and have mixed results. If the group is slower than me, I feel like I'm wasting my time. I would probably improve my fitness more efficiently by riding alone at a faster pace. If the group is faster than me, it's great training, but the struggle to stay with a group of twenty-somethings who are going 20 to 28 mph. It can be a little too much.

I'm also concerned about the safety. If one rider falls, half the group can go with him.

I enjoy riding with one other rider. No paceline needed. Two riders together are safer than riding alone. Company is nice, too.

Michael

I'm also concerned about the safety. If one rider falls, half the group can go with him.

I enjoy riding with one other rider. No paceline needed. Two riders together are safer than riding alone. Company is nice, too.

Michael

My clubs B ride is pretty mellow but the fear of being in the middle of domino's falling on the A ride has kept me from even venturing into that group. I will probably just come up with a plan for a distance and a speed that I like for a Saturday ride and see if anyone else wants in.

I am a solo rider. Ride when and where and how fast I want to go, no problem.
I have ridden with my brother a few times and enjoyed those rides a lot.
Maybe two/three other times have I ridden with someone else and they were okay but I just like riding solo.

I also ride with groups and have mixed results. If the group is slower than me, I feel like I'm wasting my time. I would probably improve my fitness more efficiently by riding alone at a faster pace. If the group is faster than me, it's great training, but the struggle to stay with a group of twenty-somethings who are going 20 to 28 mph. It can be a little to much.

I'm also concerned about the safety. If one rider falls, half the group can go with him.

I enjoy riding with one other rider. No paceline needed. Two riders together are safer than riding alone. Company is nice, too.

Michael

This has always been my experience as well.

With the exceptions of the Jan 1 Chilly Challenge (which I won't do if it's too nasty out), a group of manic MTB'ers who go urban every Thursday, and the Ride of Silence, my group rides are with my kids, 13 & 8. They love the quality time, we stay together, they learn the joys of the bike, I can teach them to handle riding as a lifestyle (I'm car-free), and there's no pretentious asses for me to have to deal with.

I prefer group rides because I like the group I ride with. I also like the safety in numbers aspect of it. Assistance or at least company when you break down makes the ride a bit less stressful. And a breakdown can be as simple as a flat. I don’t mind stopping during a 50 mile ride for coffee and conversation because most of the people I ride with have become my friends as much as anything else.

I also find that I learn more from a group of people than I might on my own or at least I discover things faster. I guess I am just a pack animal and because of it I am more social. I have met many solo riders that are strictly solo riders. They are memorable to be only because of the brief interaction we may have shared after a long climb or a chance encounter on a long ride. Someone you meet in a group ride might be a person you call when the sky clears on a rainy weekend for a quick ride of cup of coffee and pie in the little café on the outskirts of town. With the right group it almost seems like being part of a tribe or a micro-society. It can have some of the same drawbacks as expressed by some of the solo riders in this thread. But it is also a chance to share in the sport/lifestyle so many of us say we love. Doesn’t mean I can’t ride solo if I feel like it just that there isn’t the same motivation.

I am a solo rider. Ride when and where and how fast I want to go, no problem.
I have ridden with my brother a few times and enjoyed those rides a lot.
Maybe two/three other times have I ridden with someone else and they were okay but I just like riding solo.

That's pretty much me as well. I like the peacefulness of being alone on my rides.

I've been riding solo for years. On the rare occasions I've ridden with a group, it's been with the Charles River Wheelmen. Pretty relaxed group, riding at a very leisurely pace. No one gets dropped, that is not the point of these rides.

Riding solo, I ride where I like, taking whatever route I choose. I take as many ins and outs as I like, or move as directly as I like. I've never been one for talking a lot.

There was a small group of riders that got together on Wednesday evenings, on the small green next to the Newton Police station. Mostly some guys from my LBS, with some other local riders tossed in.

The routine was decide where to go, ride there at a pleasant pace, observe the world for a bit, and ride home. Mostly fixie riders with some other "outside the mainstream" types involved. This group disbanded though, for a variety of reasons.

I may do a "Ride of silence" this year. Thinking about it, at least.

Robert Foster (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/member.php/123210-Robert-Foster)
I also like the safety in numbers aspect of it.


Some have remarked that they feel unsafe in a pace line or with large groups. Somehow, I don't feel "unsafe" at all when bicycling alone. I did have to call the wife the time I got goathead after goathead, and ran out of energy to change and fix tubes, and ran out of tubes to fix. But, I didn't feel unsafe, even then. Do you ride in an unsafe neighborhood, or what is unsafe in your area that you would not want to ride alone?

Thanks

Just reading about all this effort to find a satisfactory "group" to ride with leaves me exhausted without even bicycling! I prefer to put my effort into bicycling and doing the things I enjoy while bicycling, not what someone else dictates.

As many bike groups as exist in our area, its easy to find like minded cyclists.. By getting in a couple of solo rides per week, I find the camaraderie of like minded cyclists gives me incentive to go further.

Some have remarked that they feel unsafe in a pace line or with large groups. Somehow, I don't feel "unsafe" at all when bicycling alone. I did have to call the wife the time I got goathead after goathead, and ran out of energy to change and fix tubes, and ran out of tubes to fix. But, I didn't feel unsafe, even then. Do you ride in an unsafe neighborhood, or what is unsafe in your area that you would not want to ride alone?

Thanks

I live in a pretty safe area with relatively safe streets and drivers. Even so it seems when out exploring fairly obscure roads that happen to be great for cycling you also discover the car load of teen age students rushing home with energy drinks they must not have cared for because they just happen to toss them out about the time they pass a solo rider. Now I am sure the energy drink wasn’t intentionally aimed at a passing cyclist any more than they accidently hit mail boxes they drive by. Nor do I believe the pickup truck that just happens to need to dispose of the empty beer bottle realized they were tossing it at a solo cyclist but both things have happened to me in the last three years and both times it was when I was alone.

But I tend to like people more than most solo riders seem to. Like I said I am a social person and I like the people I ride with. I never get a chance to meet or talk to many solo riders and I have to assume they like it that way.
I do have to wonder about people that don’t do group rides because they get dropped so they ride solo. Isn’t riding solo like being dropped all the time? In a group ride I have been dropped before. People tend to come back and look for me if I get too far behind though. But even if I get dropped I know where the others are going and worst case scenario I get there after they have been given their coffee.

I mostly ride by myself and get tired of that, so I enjoy riding with a group when I can.

In general, it's just a problem to find a group going the same speed, the right distance, etc., that you want to go, and sometimes compromises have to be made if you want to do it.

To the original poster: If that six hours out of a Saturday is too much, why not go do that ride every other week instead of every week, and that kind of averages it out?

Thank you. Your answer went far beyond the safety issue. I'm sorry folks throw things that tend to land where you are. That is certainly dangerous.

As far as the rest about being "dropped," "social," and the like. I am a social person, and greatly enjoy meeting and talking with folks I meet - other bicyclists, pedestrians, folks at rest stops, etc. I do a lot of "utility riding" - not a "ride" in your sense, but a definite way to use the bicycle for needed transportation. I meet folks on these utility rides, also.

As far as being "dropped" - the term is foreign to me. Dropped from what? Am I always in some sort of race, trying to prove myself or whatever? Gosh, I hope not!! I go as fast as I want and as slow as I want. I am never "dropped" because I am always where I want to be.

Anyway thanks for the response.

Bicycling safely and with safety - me!!


I live in a pretty safe area with relatively safe streets and drivers. Even so it seems when out exploring fairly obscure roads that happen to be great for cycling you also discover the car load of teen age students rushing home with energy drinks they must not have cared for because they just happen to toss them out about the time they pass a solo rider. Now I am sure the energy drink wasn’t intentionally aimed at a passing cyclist any more than they accidently hit mail boxes they drive by. Nor do I believe the pickup truck that just happens to need to dispose of the empty beer bottle realized they were tossing it at a solo cyclist but both things have happened to me in the last three years and both times it was when I was alone.

But I tend to like people more than most solo riders seem to. Like I said I am a social person and I like the people I ride with. I never get a chance to meet or talk to many solo riders and I have to assume they like it that way.
I do have to wonder about people that don’t do group rides because they get dropped so they ride solo. Isn’t riding solo like being dropped all the time? In a group ride I have been dropped before. People tend to come back and look for me if I get too far behind though. But even if I get dropped I know where the others are going and worst case scenario I get there after they have been given their coffee.

Several years ago (about 5-6 actually) I got back into cycling after an 8 yr. absence. Although I had ridden with friends in the past, it was usually three or four of us and sort of impromptu. Then I discovered a club near me with people I knew and liked. The club was relatively new and starting to build a base of riders. So, my gf and I rode with the club on Saturday mornings for a couple years. We were doing the B ride which meant about 40-50 mi. at 15-16 mph. Over the years the group morphed into variations of the B ride as in B-, B, B+, etc. This is a really good group. No one gets dropped and everyone is willing to help another rider anytime/anywhere. Good people. But.....the rides started to get longer and Saturdays became a day dedicated to riding. By mid-season rides are 60-70 mi. and it becomes an endurance ride IMO. With an 1/2 hr. drive to the meetup site, 5 hrs. riding and 1/2 hr.drive home it was 6 hrs. out of the day. Then there was the 1 hr. stop midway on the ride for donuts or ice cream or whatever. I hate getting back on the bike after a long stop so it kind of sucks for me. We began to phase out of club rides. Last year we rode twice. I still get my 100 mi. a week but now it's mostly solo with a ride a week with my gf. Just wondering if anyone else has had that happen.


I like your avatar!! :thumb:

Group rides have to accomdate ALL. With that said, all can't be satisfied. Same with group motorcycle rides..you got egos going, different everything. Most of the time a group ride will be good with a SELECT group. That way, everybody is on the same time, much more preferable that the average group ride with different skill levels, different goals, and different mindsets...

Today I did a charity ride with a group of about 20/25. I haven't done group riding. It was a great social time with good food and new friends. There was a leader and a sweeper. I couldn't pass the leader without seeming rude, so I rode my brakes and didn't pedal down this awesome long hill. If I didn't ride the brakes the bike started to shoot by everyone. I just wanted to rip down it for fun! Going uphill I again had to ride slowly. It was hard for me to do that. I wanted to just get up the darned things already. I am not that fast. It is the bike making it so easy for me to ride it. It was also difficult to keep my eye on all the different riders at the different levels so I didn't run into anyone. I am a beginner with clips, so didn't want to fall because someone got in my way.

I might enjoy a group ride with others on road bikes, but this was a mixed group. It was nice to be in a largish group because we could get out in the street to turn corners as a pack. I felt safe. It was fun talking about bikes for several hours (these people enjoyed those conversations). I learned some great tips about areas around us to ride.

I would mostly like to ride with just one or two people, more freedom to do what I want. I like riding with my husband. He is about the same speed as I am. I also have limited time (I have other hobbies, responsibilities and work).

I used to live in an area with lots of cyclists and great open roads. Since it was over twenty miles to the nearest hill, most people tended to form up in groups whether their ride started solo or not. It was great fun to go out for a little spin and have it turn into a sixty mile hammer fest with a group of familiar riders. Crashes were unheard of, in large part because of the skill level of the cyclists and their generous mentoring of those who needed a bit of help and partly because the roads just didn't have many surprises.

Now I live in an area with lots of small hills and really crummy roads. I much prefer riding solo here for a several reasons. First of all, there are just too many roadway defects to make pack riding safe here. Also, I want to climb at my pace, not someone else's. Mostly I prefer to ride solo because the cyclists in this area just don't seem to have much in the way of bike handling skills, from what I have seen. I've gone this long without kissing the asphalt and I'd like to keep it that way. I miss the social aspects and will ride along with others for brief stretches from time to time, but I have just become too risk-averse to make a habit of it. I know it is my loss and maybe I'll get over it eventually.

Because of the way I'm built (think NFL Running Back) I sometimes find that although I can ride a route as fast as a guy with a climber's build our "styles" keep us from riding together. You can imagine I'm sure......flats I can ride away, downhills I fly down and on the hills the climber gets it all back. So, we end up "yo-yo-ing" the entire ride if we ride our fastest.

A little something for you cehowardGS:

I prefer group rides because I like the group I ride with. I also like the safety in numbers aspect of it. Assistance or at least company when you break down makes the ride a bit less stressful. And a breakdown can be as simple as a flat. I don’t mind stopping during a 50 mile ride for coffee and conversation because most of the people I ride with have become my friends as much as anything else.

I also find that I learn more from a group of people than I might on my own or at least I discover things faster. I guess I am just a pack animal and because of it I am more social. I have met many solo riders that are strictly solo riders. They are memorable to be only because of the brief interaction we may have shared after a long climb or a chance encounter on a long ride. Someone you meet in a group ride might be a person you call when the sky clears on a rainy weekend for a quick ride of cup of coffee and pie in the little café on the outskirts of town. With the right group it almost seems like being part of a tribe or a micro-society. It can have some of the same drawbacks as expressed by some of the solo riders in this thread. But it is also a chance to share in the sport/lifestyle so many of us say we love. Doesn’t mean I can’t ride solo if I feel like it just that there isn’t the same motivation.

This. I can ride solo whenever I want, but I enjoy groups and riding in the right group, of the right size (say 3-7 people) is generally a lot safer than riding alone. The group has a bigger visual profile for motorists than a single rider and with other cyclists around, the rare idiot is far less likely to intentionally get too close with their vehicle.

I'm of two minds when it comes to going on group rides again. It's been over 35 years or more since I've done a group ride and because of my work schedule I tend to ride solo. I've been asked about going on group rides on the weekend with a local club and I've been thinking about it.

I'm also thinking about organizing local neighbour hood group rides during the week. There are an amazing number of 40-60 yr. olds in my neigbourhood that have bikes that have been sitting there because of the good old "I should get out there" syndrome... Here we are living with a really nice 780km waterfront trail right at our doorsteps with an interconnected park system and hardly anybody gets out there !

This. I can ride solo whenever I want, but I enjoy groups and riding in the right group, of the right size (say 3-7 people) is generally a lot safer than riding alone. The group has a bigger visual profile for motorists than a single rider and with other cyclists around, the rare idiot is far less likely to intentionally get too close with their vehicle.

I agree. I decided to tweak the fit of my Backup Jamis Saturday. After changing the pedals, wheels, saddle and bars it seemed like a good idea to take it out for a test ride. 5 or 6 miles seemed like plenty of distance to see if it was adjusted the way I like. I ended up doing two climbs and moving the saddle forward about ½ inch. Pointed the bike east for another 5 or six miles and after some rollers I moved the bars so the hoods were level with the ramps. Did a longer slight climb to a local ranger station and adjusted the seat post up about ½ inch. The bike was feeling pretty good about then and I was 15 miles from home. Ended up stopping by a friend’s house to borrow a flat tip screwdriver to tighten the magnet for my odometer and after some conversation headed for home. The ride was good and I accomplished what I wanted. The best part of the ride however was the time spent with friends even just fixing my magnet.

I mostly ride with groups. There's a lot of group rides here, and I've found a few that I like. Some of the weekday evening rides are fast (for me) so I'm pushing hard to keep up, more than I'd do on my own. Fun. Then one of the weekend rides is usually slower paced, so there's more sightseeing and conversation. That's nice too.

The group rides have taken me to new areas that I would never think had any good routes. The groups have really figured out a lot of good rides over the years.

When I do get out solo, I realize that can really great. But it's easier for my motivation to do a scheduled ride.

I got started riding by joining a group of women who were loosely organized as a group interested in cycling in a general sense. I don't think I would have ever really begun riding at the level I do now if I tried to do that on my own. I rode primarily with those women for most of a year. They were a no-drop group, and no one cared if anyone was faster than the leader. Generally, riders of varying abilities tended to participate in rides generally suited to their abilities. It was a good opportunity to start riding on a regular basis, to try a variety of routes, to try things without fear of being dropped, to learn about cycling from others and to enjoy their company as people. We had a habit of eating or drinking Blue Moon beer after each ride, so that contributed to the social nature.

As I started to train for a metric century and then a century, however, I wanted to ride more often with others who were about my level and who wanted to try specific types of rides - endurance, hill climbing, intervals, etc. I also started riding more solo rides, but preferred the rides with 1-3 other riders. Basically, I found it harder to push myself when I was alone. When I rode with the smaller group, my performance was always better. We didn't talk as much as happened on the larger group rides, but I think each of us enjoyed the company of each other. Perhaps the feeling is similar to going to a concert or other live event - part of the enjoyment is being there with other human beings, even if you don't directly interact with them that much. So while I will ride solo, I prefer connecting to one or more of these women.

One of the differences I have noticed between runners and cyclists is that cycling has a stronger social aspect, even if that only translates as the conversations happening on BF. When I was trying to be a runner, I was almost always by myself. The runners I observed rarely acknowledged each other, while I see many cyclists nod and wave in passing. So perhaps even solo cyclists have a social experience of some type.

I haven't ridden with a club in fifteen years and I don't think I ever will again. My experience has shown me that most of the group rides I've been on, to include various fund raising rides and so-called recreational rides are really silly, amateur, egotistical and unstated races. Anyone who rides for fun with others only to "drop" some of them is stikes me as petty egotism. The whole concept of dropping riders is a contradiction to riding together in the first place. If I ask a friend to ride, I don't "drop" him. Nor do I expect to be dropped if I am invited along on ride. I really like cycling, but the one thing about it that gets under my skin is this idea of always trying to go as fast as one can. I would rather ride alone, which I do most of the time, than ride with cyclists who see some sort of competition in recreational cycling. Why does every recreational activity have to morph into some sort of competition? When I ski with friends I don't drop them, even if they are quite inexperienced. When I hike or backpack with others I don't "drop" anyone to get to the destination first. When I fish I don't count to see who caught the most. The whole idea of competition is fine for those who want to get involved in it, but I dislike the competitive idea creeping into recreational activities. People assume that because I cycle I must follow the Tour de France and be interested in improving my own time, that I care about professional cycling and things like V02 max and such stuff. I like riding with people for the conversation and the companionship, not to show them how fit I am.

We joined our local club for a year, found out we just don't really care for "group rides". Can't stop when we want, almost forced to go the "speed" the group want's and, LOL, everybody but US, seems to have a "IRON BLADDER"!!!! :O I guess we are truly "Smell The Roses Riders", we don't want every ride, that's suppose to be "social" to turn into a "mini-training" ride and that seems to be a "normal" way a "club group" ride turns out, jmho, ymmv. No we just ride by ourselves and we are loving it! :)

I've never found it hard to push myself. Maybe it's just because guys are different that way. To me, there's always another challenge and I usually go out with a certain objective in mind. My wife is always after me to slow down and not to push myself after being idle for literally decades which is why I got a HR monitor (which I have found to be immensely useful) to ensure her that I'm not about to drop dead.

At this point, I'm want to get my endurance up at higher speeds and I want to solve the bonking issues I have on long hill climbs. I discovered last year that a lot of that was due to fatigue caused by execessive road buzz and that it was simply time for me to get back on to a high performance road bike.

Group rides are fun and I probably will start joining in on some later in the year but since I've been out of the saddle for such a long time I've got some training objectives in mind and I want to improve on the ones I had last year when I first started riding again. I have specific fitness and health goals in mind and I want to get rid of the last of that spare tire i've been carrying around my middle for the last five years.

I'm not interested in racing at the moment (you never know) and I'm also not interested in getting into a technological arms race with the next guy. I've spent the money on the hardware that I need to help me get to where I want to go.

If the group I'm riding with drops riders, then I'm not interested in riding with them. When I used to ride with a group, we never dropped a rider. I won't drop a fellow skier either unless they ask me to and I would never do that to a fellow rider.

To me group riding is a nice option provided you get in with the right group. That's why I'm considering starting up a neighbourhood group ride. I live in a pretty affluent neighbourhood and thare are an amazing number of bikes gathering dust in garages because their owner got them "thinking that they should get in shape" but won't because of a kind of general lethargy that I will openly admit to myself. Either way, I love to ride.

And the best part of this ? It's really nice to get back into the sport that I really loved from the start.

I enjoy mixing it up, some solo and some group rides. During the week, if the schedule permits I'll get out after work for a quick 20-25 mile solo ride. Since the mid-week ride is on the MUP and there are often many other riders, its not uncommon to latch onto a faster group that passes by. I enjoy pushing it and jump at the opportunity to hop on a faster group. But I don't mind riding solo or allowing someone to ride my wheel if they choose to latch on.

There are plenty of group rides to choose from on the weekends. Depending on the mood and how I'm feeling will depend on which speed group I target. If a ride is posted as a no drop ride, it is usually understood that they can maintain at least 18 mph in a paceline so they don't slow down the group. Some of our rides will have 15-20 people and we discuss before departing the different speed groups so people can make the right choice. If someone falls off the back of the faster group then they can get picked up by the slower group.

We joined our local club for a year, found out we just don't really care for "group rides". Can't stop when we want, almost forced to go the "speed" the group want's and, LOL, everybody but US, seems to have a "IRON BLADDER"!!!! :O I guess we are truly "Smell The Roses Riders", we don't want every ride, that's suppose to be "social" to turn into a "mini-training" ride and that seems to be a "normal" way a "club group" ride turns out, jmho, ymmv. No we just ride by ourselves and we are loving it! :)

I forgot about the IRON BLADDER :lol: it's almost always the guys who are like and it's the women who complain that men must be descended from a combination of apes and camels.

I ride solo the vast majority of the time. The club rides I do are very nice however as the club members I ride with are mostly of the same age, and ability. Where I ride, there are quite a few groups of varying talents. So it's not a problem to find one that fits ones needs. In any case it seems I still prefer to ride alone most of the time.

I for the most part ride solo. I like to keep my own pace and stop when and where I like. At this stage I am not training for an Olympic event so now its just to try and improve my endurance and stay in good health. I do enjoy ridding with others on occasion, but usually they turn into some kind of race event.

I enjoy both alone and club rides. My local club has weekly summer rides divided above and below 14mph. I also ride with the recumbent club in Omaha a few times a year. The larger amount of my riding is alone tho.

I like both group and solo rides. My Saturday ride is with a club, and the Sunday ride is solo.

I belong to 2 clubs, and alternate Saturday rides with each. I joined one club 7 years ago. Those rides are 40-50 miles at a moderate, 15mph pace. This club gave me the confidence to ride 50+ miles. The rides are not technically no drop, but there are frequent regroups.

This year I joined a second club. It has two groups, both of which have a more agressive pace than the other club.

I enjoy both group and solo rides. On solo rides I consistently ride at a higher pace than the moderate club, but the same or slower than the faster club. There are many benefits to group riding.

Just wondering if anyone else has had that happen.

If it ever does, kill me.

:)


One of the things the missus & I love about epic group rides is the fact that it does take us out for the entire day. 6 hours riding plus 1 hour for lunch? That's nothing! If it's still light out when we get back from a ride I feel like we wasted part of the day!

Back in the days B.C. (Before Cycling) weekends would come around & we'd look at each other and say "So, what do you want to do today?" But now, we know exactly what we want to do today, every weekend, and we look forward to it taking up our entire day, and if it doesn't we're often disappointed.

Of course, we never get any chores done...

Not getting chores done ? It's better to be out riding. The most exercise I see people getting around here amounts to getting that pull start going on a lawn mower (for those biceps) pushing it around, or washing a car/truck (more bicep work) then ducking inside and tipping their elbows while watching TV.

When I stop to talk to them it's "gee I should do some of that" or "How do you do it ?"

Sound familiar ?

I don't do regular club rides (most do the same routes, which I don't like much.) But I do as many organized century events and week-long events like Bike Virginia and Ride Idaho as I can. so I'm riding solo 90 percent of the time, but I enjoy the group aspect without having to get locked into a routine with a local club.

I'm a solo rider for the most part. I'll occasionally ride with a friend or one of my sons. The number of times I've ridden in group larger than three over the past five years can be counted on the fingers of one hand. I find that riding alone provide a level of needed solitude I don't get in other places in my life. While I do stop and chat and am not anti-social, I really need the time alone and treasure it. When I do ride with someone else, I tend to view it as a social event, and find it hard to really attend to traffic and more than one or two people at a time. While I like to watch and following bicycle racing, I've never wanted to ride in groups like that. For me cycling isn't about training, getting faster, competing with others, etc. Don't get me wrong, I do like to go fast and far, but want to do it on my terms.

I really like indoor trainer "rides" with a group but for simplicity I ride about 80-90 percent alone and on MUPs. Rides with other riders are on roads more often. My first year of riding I had a single riding chum that was a good match to ride with, but he has since lost interest. I avoid riding in big groups unless it is really casual.

I do both. Most of my rides are club rides, but there is no requirement to stay in a group. So I ride with the group to socialize or a few of us go off the front if we want a bit more workout, then wait up at the regroup point.

...then wait up at the regroup point.

See this is the part that I think would drive me nuts.

See this is the part that I think would drive me nuts.

+1

See this is the part that I think would drive me nuts.

You could always ride back and rejoin the group and use it as more workout. Of course, if there are frequent regroups anyway, you're SOL.

You could always ride back and rejoin the group and use it as more workout. Of course, if there are frequent regroups anyway, you're SOL.

An older, wiser cyclist gave me this tip several years ago when I first started leading club rides and would occasionally encounter this scenario: A rider, seeking faster speeds and/or a more challenging physical workout than the previously published & agreed upon pace, would go off the front, then wait for the group to catch up, then go off the front again, then wait for the group to catch up again, etc etc etc...and then they would have the audacity to complain to me that the ride wasn't fast enough!

(Digression: Dude, if yer gonna go off the front 'cuz you wanna ride fast and/or get a workout, do everyone a favor and stay off the front! Don't rejoin us!)

But older/wiser guy suggested "Have them sweep."

That way if they want to Go Fast/Workout, they can fall off the back, then sprint to their heart's content until they catch up with the group. Lather, rinse, repeat.

IMHO group riding, whether it is in a pace line or in a pack helps build skills that make you a better cyclist. That not to say all your rides should be group or club rides, but now and then they can offer something new. I use group rides to test my fitness against other riders, to learn new routes, to work on bike handling skills, learn about new equipment and meet new people. It use to bother me if I got dropped, now if that happens it motivates me to work harder to improve my fitness. I use to feel snubbed when it people did not include me in conversations, but all I had to remember was cycling really is not that social of a sport, cyclist tend to be pretty individualistic. All of the threads that have dealt with this topic in the past tend to end the same way - Always ride your own ride and only do group rides if YOU get something positive out of them.