Originally Posted by bbeasley

The benefits:

Traffic. I'm getting much more comfortable in traffic. I've been able to watch experienced cyclists and I'm getting better at when to take the lane and when to hide.

Speed. The club/ride leader provides optional sprinting opportunities as part of the ride. I'm much faster when sprinting with other riders compared to my lone efforts. My average speed has now picked up even during commuting and I think it's due to the sprints. This is something I've been struggling with.
Sprints are a great way to add overall health, and speed to your rides. You're actually kind of doing intervals in which you raise your heartrate, and then sandwich some recovery time in between. This is one of the best ways to improve overall fitness. I hit them hard on my indoor trainer during winter months, and really reap the benefits on the road in the spring.

Miles. The miles are much easier when chatting with another rider. Gives me something to do other than focusing on my cyclo computer.
Couldn't agree more. Once you get comfortable, and get to know folks on a regular basis the miles do fly by. I don't consider myself much of a talker, but since everybody in the group has the bike in common it makes conversation easy to come by.

Confidence. I was worried I wasn't fast enough to keep up. They have a no drop policy and different rides for different speed groups. The group I'm in rides through town between 13 and 17 MPH. The sprints range from 17 to 25 MPH and once on the MUP it's a race. The sprints end at designated points where everyone catches up. Turns out my pace is fine and I can enjoy chasing the fast guys during the sprints.
Sounds like you found the right group of folks to ride with. That can be a struggle to do at first, but once you find a great group it's hard not to go back and ride with them when you see a ride on the upcoming schedule.

If you've never done a group ride you might want to consider it even if it means traveling a bit. I'm really enjoying it.