Originally Posted by
nrowensby
I foresee this thread being great motivation for others of us who are toying with the idea of trying out a group ride... One LBS has a ride every Tue/Thur that claims to have "Lots of groups for varying cycling levels including some that are quite social."
After reading this... I may have to give it a try this coming Tuesday!
Despite Mithrandir's experience, or perhaps because of it (depending on your point of view when it comes to "challenges"), I highly recommend group rides. At the very least you'll get valuable experience at riding in relatively close quarters, and for at least the early part of the ride you'll be able to travel faster with less effort than you'd previously thought possible. It's an experience unlike any other, IMO. And if you get dropped, you keep trying, or look around for a group closer to your present abilities. You might even find some fellow riders who are also dissatisfied with the pace and want to start their own group.
I don't mean to discount the pleasures of long solo rides, of which there are many. But avoiding group rides without having tried them is shortchanging yourself.