22 miles is just getting warmed up! How do you know you are pushing harder because you are riding with someone else? What if the other person is the slower rider? Are you going to keep riding at the slower pace just to have someone to ride with? The best part about the longer rides is their Darwinistic nature. At some point you will have to press on by yourself. Someone tires and people either get dropped or do the dropping. Then you are out there with your buddies me, myself and I. You have to face the wind, rain, heat, hills, etc. by yourself. That's what it's all about. No talk of MPH, Powermeters, Watts, etc. Just you trying to persevere.