Benefits of Group Rides for a rookie
 

I've got excellent rural roads around my house for riding. Very limited traffic and great paving. But, since Sept 11 when I started riding I've seen exactly 3 other bikes that were cycling enthusiasts in my Parish (same as a County).

I tend to drive the 30 miles to Louisiana's only rail to trail project at least once a week to at least see other bikes.

I felt it was time for a change and found a cycling club in Baton Rouge. It's 45 miles and up to 1 1/2 hours (heavy traffic) away. I've had a blast with these guys and wanted to share why it's been worth 2 - 3 hours of windshield time for a 30 mile ride.

The benefits:

Traffic. I'm getting much more comfortable in traffic. I've been able to watch experienced cyclists and I'm getting better at when to take the lane and when to hide.

Speed. The club/ride leader provides optional sprinting opportunities as part of the ride. I'm much faster when sprinting with other riders compared to my lone efforts. My average speed has now picked up even during commuting and I think it's due to the sprints. This is something I've been struggling with.

Miles. The miles are much easier when chatting with another rider. Gives me something to do other than focusing on my cyclo computer.

Confidence. I was worried I wasn't fast enough to keep up. They have a no drop policy and different rides for different speed groups. The group I'm in rides through town between 13 and 17 MPH. The sprints range from 17 to 25 MPH and once on the MUP it's a race. The sprints end at designated points where everyone catches up. Turns out my pace is fine and I can enjoy chasing the fast guys during the sprints.

If you've never done a group ride you might want to consider it even if it means traveling a bit. I'm really enjoying it.

Good for you. I also very much prefer to ride in a group. I work harder and suffer less, and there are people to be responsible to, which makes it easier to get out of bed in the morning.
Really? Is the MUP that empty? If you tried that here you would hit a child or a dog within minutes. I really like the MUPs here, but I love the thought of one that you can safely race on.

I usually like to ride alone because my schedule is so funky. I can go ride on a moments notice. I've done group rides and they are a blast. I talked to one guy (retired) who said he use to do 90% of his rides solo and 10% group he now says it is the opposite. Even if you only do a group ride once in awhile it can motivate you on your solo rides.

The cons are you are tied to other peoples pace and breaks. As you mention the drive time sometimes you can be done with a ride by the time you drive back and forth to a start location.

One other plus I didn't see mentioned is you can learn new routes that you can do solo later.

I'm dying to do a group ride because I feel like I could use the help with my technique. I just started road biking, and I've been trying to get someone from the local road club to help me, but scheduling's been a problem.

They went on a group ride last weekend, but I was pretty sure I'd be holding them back and I didn't wanna do that. After a pretty decent ride a little bit ago, I feel like I might be able to keep up with them better.

I'd just like to have experienced riders watch me ride and tell me if there's a better way of going about what I'm trying to do.

This MUP has been empty or nearly empty both times. On the the rail to trail I ride it's not uncommon to ride 3 to 5 miles on a weekend or 10 miles during the week without seeing another bike.

Groups are not for everyone, but like you I find them a blast. I even go out of my way to ride events where I don't know a sole. There's always someone to tag along with, and I have met quite a few folks in my travels...

Have fun!

I find a combination of group riding & solo rides works best for me. Solo riding allows me to ride further and I can maintain my own pace without dropping anyone or being dropped.

But riding with a group that is about 1 mph faster than my comfort zone for about three hours is a real treat!

I find that "different is good". Since I normally wind up riding by myself by default, anytime I get to ride with other people, I enjoy it. If I rode with a group all the time, I'd enjoy getting out by myself for the same reason.

One unexpected benefit of riding with a group was finding a better route near my house for my daily rides.

You can learn things about riding, technique, gear, etc. from a group.