Originally Posted by
badger1
This, minus the monthly group ride -- never participated in one, and almost certainly never will. 'Hate'? No. I completely understand why many cyclists like, or even prefer, group rides to riding solo, just as I have no desire to 'train' or record metrics etc but understand why many cyclists do.
I am pretty introverted by nature, though not in the "L'enfer, c'est les autres" sense. For me, cycling has been a respite from family and work interactions since I rediscovered it in 2002 at age 50.
The other thing about group rides, especially a well-organized, fast group ride is that it's simultaneously exhilarating and terrifying. Well, maybe not really terrifying, but anxiety-inducing. You're part of a group, ripping along the road way faster than you could by yourself, part of a well-oiled machine. But that wheel you're following is deadly. I loved riding in a smoothly operating paceline, but I could never quite get that thought out of my mind - one mistake by me could take down the group, or one mistake by someone else could take me down.