Originally Posted by
Journeyman
. . . The thing that really burns me up are the riders that pass without a word.
Why? Or, more properly, why is it important to you that other riders conform to your conversational standard. I tend to greet other riders but imposing that as a reciprocal burden would, for me, be rude and foolish. When a rider is silent he or she has done me no harm unless I begin stewing about it.
Originally Posted by
jackb
What is the purpose of riding with other if they will be dropped? The concept of "dropping" is a racing term. When people ride together I assume that they desire each others company. But as you know, there are a lot of pro wannabes out there who get some sort of satisfaction from "dropping" slower riders. Best to cycle with friends or alone. Cycling is not a competitive pastime unless one is a racer.
Take it from a guy who has put in his time riding sweep and also fallen off the end of groups riding beyond my capacity, that's way too harsh. An established group settles into a familiar pace. Unless there's a sweep rider or established regrouping points it's up to everyone to keep up or be dropped. Otherwise the group is always defined by the slowest person who happens to show up that day.
As mentioned, you will often find large groups sorting themselves out into three segments. The relative hammerheads (and to me that's not at all a derisive term) push out ahead, a slightly slower group forms after them and the sweep rider assembles another group of those who want or need a slower pace yet.