I tend to side with Madmech in some respects. I just finished 2 months of road riding to prepare for a Tour de Cure event. The event was a blast. But the riding "FOR ME" became tedious. But that is just about taste. Riding trails is much more dangerous and fun.

There were a couple of times in the past 2 months that I did some group rides. The group made some huge leaps through traffic that were legal, but nutts. Before the ride the leader went over the local laws on bike rights. The moves they made were LEGAL, but IMO put the group in danger. We would cross two lanes of traffic to get to a turning lane at 18 mph in a zone where cars were travelling 45-50.

But Madmech, you need to remember, you saw 2 bikes in a bad traffic situation. Some roadies may agree with your point about traffic, but that is how they like to roll. Some people play slots and roulette-I think they are nutts. Everyone should play Blackjack and Craps. That is where the action really is.