Originally Posted by
MinnMan
we will yell at you?
Pretty much. The whole group is like this: if we know that you know better but your actions are impacting the group's experience, we'll quickly lay down the law. We've found that everything works better and there are less conflicts if the rules are clear and everyone does the right thing.
In the groups I know, it's fine for people to sit in without pulling.
Sure. However, after the 20th ride if someone is still ducking pulls, we start to get a little irritated.
Sometimes it's someone who normally pulls but is just doing a recovery ride or feeling subpar - that's cool. Sometimes it's somebody who doesn't think they are strong enough or skilled enough to pull - that's fine too - better that they sit in on the back then to do a poor job on the front.
Again, agreed. This is obviously not black and white and group culture varies. Part of riding in most of the groups I ride with is sharing the load. If you're constantly skipping pulls after a couple months and not making any attempt to get stronger we start to get annoyed. Not even the 70 year old guy who rides with us some times gets a pass. Personally I appreciate this, we hold each other to account and get each other in shape. That's the point of the groups I ride with.