Maybe you think about this when riding in a paceline. Was out riding today with a couple of my buddies. We were just cruisin' and swapping some lies. We hear...on your left and here comes the freight train. We like to roll pretty good from time to time and were out for a 60 mile ride which is a mix of hammering and cruising. I recognize one of the riders in the 3 man train behind us and have ridden with him before and he is a fast guy. So we latch on. Paceline was rolling on average 23 mph or so. Most know that is OK for a decent recreational cyclist and nothing extraordinary. One rider in our new group of 6 is a racer and he can fly. He was pulling at 25mph into a bit of wind...though conditions were really ideal for fast riding today. 25 mph in a paceline isn't too bad either as most know...until its your turn to pull. None of us want to slow the line down when we pull. So when it was my turn I pulled at 23-24 mph for a short while. I am not a racer...just a decent cyclist who can keep up with most and not all out there. So how about you guys under similar circumstances? I know length of ride mattes as to how fast you ride in a paceline. If riding a century, most of us average riders won't be averaging 23-24 mph in a paceline for 100 miles. I know there are a few on here that can do that however. A lot of us can do it for 30 miles of course but length of ride changes things.

Let me know what you decide if joining up with a paceline. I am of the mind that hanging off the back isn't cool. If you can't pull, then don't join the group. What was funny is, this group that was really rolling I believe were a bit indignant as my friends and I are 'older'. But we are fast old guys. The group coming up from behind would have to ride really fast to drop us and this would take them out of their normal pace. It was kind of funny dynamic all said and my buddies and I had a good laugh afterword.