My favorite ride of 2011 came in late October, with most of the cycling season behind me. It was my very first group ride, a 40 miler with the local cycling club.

The day was overcast, and the temperature may have topped 50 degrees for a bit. My feet didn't get warm until about 90 minutes into the ride. However…the people were great, the back-country roads were excellent for cycling, and the terrain and scenery were superb.

It was my favorite ride because it opened up a new aspecting of cycling for me. Before I tried the group thing I was skeptical that I would even like it. It turned out that I loved it.

I've gone on several group rides since. The rides continued into November and even December, even though the weather in upstate NY can be very questionable at that time of year.

Most of my riding is still solo, which is fine, but now I have the group rides to add to the mix. I did finish out 2011 with a relatively quick 12 mile jaunt yesterday, but I'm very much looking forward to warmer weather and more riding in 2012.