Doing my part to get us to 1000...

Uneventful ride in this morning., My neighbor rode in with me. He's about 19 and in Army ROTC, wants to get in (even) better shape so he's going to ride with me in the mornings. He's a good young man.

Etiquette question: there are several stretches of my route where I take the lane when riding alone (narrow lanes with curbs and gutter pans, right turn only lanes, etc.). I know one of the major complaints from drivers is when cyclists ride 2 (or more) abreast. But if I was taking the lane anyway, should it matter that sometimes he rides alongside me? I'd be taking the full lane anyway.

I mean...I know that, but I worry that drivers will look at the situation and assume we're taking the full lane just because we want to ride side-by-side. Of course some here will probably say I shouldn't care what the drivers think.