Originally Posted by
orlick
I ride in a group with an old steel-fixed gear and definitely got that "not wanted" feeling at first and attributed it to my bike. In hindsight it had nothing to do with my bike, it just takes a lot of trust to ride at 25mph in a tight pack of people.
well put.. this is what the OP will likely realize later on
Originally Posted by
iain.dalton
In my defense, I didn't know what the environment would be like until I got there, and it's hard to develop to the point where one can ride ~15-20 mph for 90 miles if one only rides alone. Companionship and _friendly competition_ helps spur oneself on.
I second the request on where you heard about this ride. Even the smallest, most backwoods clubs give some kind of ride classification--even if there is only one ride speed.
Also, why do you need other people around to train to a marginal level of fitness? Hell, just commuting to work by bike should be enough to get in pretty good shape.