Originally Posted by RiPHRaPH
am i missing something here? it is never beautiful when all your hard work....all the early mornings....all the pontificating over diet and bike weight and training....ends up for naught, and you are rearview mirror candy.
i know....i know.....you get better when you ride with better riders>keep plugging away and you'll eventually hang on....
but i am a no excuse guy. it temporarily drains me of my love for biking and competing. it is mentally draining as it is physically so. i don't care if i am riding with the USPS guys or another quick ride with local legends.
there are several moments of truth on these rides. are you in it to win it?
It's a fine line between sport and recreation. I agree you almost have to commit to participate in the suffering or be relagated to riding alone. If you're not agressive, if you're not fit, then you need to be or else you're gone. There are only so many time one can start a group ride and not finish before you lose face. The older you get, it becomes less about being with the "in" crowd and the more about pride. However, the other way to think about group rides is as a surrogate for actual races. If you never plan to race, you can at least enjoy some level of competition without the risk of crashing in a fast-paced group ride.
-mark