I've decided to work at being more social, because even though I'm a LOW social needs introvert, I'm not a NO social needs introvert. Someone on our monthly C&V ride mentioned another group that rides once a month, on the 3rd Sunday, so I got their info and signed up for email updates. May's ride was yesterday. It was about twice the size of our biggest group - 12 riders, unsurprisingly all older guys. Because of the size of the group, it worked more like a real group ride, though not a competitive one - riding mostly two up in reasonably tight formation. I put myself mid-pack and tried to stay there, but still ended up in front about halfway around. I slowed down a couple times to let the group pass me so I wouldn't be in front, but they never did. Then the group pretty much splintered on a pair of climbs - Sand Hill, for you Bay Areans.

Then we did something I've never done on a group ride - stopped for lunch. We all stopped at the market in Woodside and bought food, and went to a nice comfy spot with chairs and tables and ate and talked. Well, THEY talked. I did my usual first-timer thing of not talking much. It was a new experience - the Cafe Ride experience. In all the time I've been riding, over 30 years now, I have never been one to stop at a cafe or other food establishment and eat, either in the middle or the end of the ride. My natural inclination is not to stop at all. I've had to make myself stop at the halfway point on my Sunday rides, to make sure I eat something so I won't bonk later.

Based on the description, I thought we would be doing a climb that is mostly 1-4% but ramps up to an average of 8% the last 1/4 mile, with a couple out-of-the-saddle, "grunt, grunt, grunt" bits. Well, we didn't go that way. "Up Alpine to the gate" apparently meant something entirely different to the ride leader. We went on some MUPs that run parallel with parts of my ride, which only confirmed my distaste for bike paths, especially for group rides. But I had fun and will keep doing this ride, and look for others