My gf has not been riding a lot this season and I've been riding more than last year. So, while I've been getting more fit, losing weight and getting faster she has been lagging on our rides. But, I want her to be encouraged to ride and enjoy our time together. Up to now I've been leading and stopping whenever she got too far behind. Yesterday I took another approach. I told her to lead and ride at a pace that she finds comfortable. I then rode in my small chain wheel only and concentrated on higher rpms instead of mph. As a result we actually rode together and my spinning got much better. At one point I found myself at 125 rpm on a slight downgrade and not bouncing off the seat! This from a guy who last year thought "spinning" was anything above 85 rpms. This new approach has allowed us to ride together and me to become more versatile in powering the bike. It's all good. No, it's great. I really enjoyed the ride, learned a lot and broadened the scope of my riding.