Safety in numbers... You are actually more safe in a group than you are solo. A car will see the group much better than a solo rider.

The other thing about group rides, especially a well-organized, fast group ride is that it's simultaneously exhilarating and terrifying. Well, maybe not really terrifying, but anxiety-inducing. You're part of a group, ripping along the road way faster than you could by yourself, part of a well-oiled machine. But that wheel you're following is deadly. I loved riding in a smoothly operating paceline, but I could never quite get that thought out of my mind - one mistake by me could take down the group, or one mistake by someone else could take me down.

It's all about variety for me. I usually ride solo and prefer it in certain circumstances. If I'm chasing performance goals, it's best done solo. Solo riding is also how I "recharge" so to speak. I'm a bit of an introvert...I enjoy interacting with people, but I do find it fatiguing.

That being said, I do enjoy certain types of group rides from time to time. Large casual group rides really aren't my thing...if I do one, I typically just end up riding on the front most of the time in order to get a workout. I do like a weekly "race" ride we do. It's a fast paced ride and ends up splitting into 2 or 3 smaller groups, each "racing" to the regroup point.

I do enjoy doing longer rides with 1 or 2 other people that are fairly close in fitness abilities. Quiet roads or gravel rides are perfect for this. You can chat and ride side by side, without worrying about traffic. If you want to push, you can just wait at the top of one of the climbs.

I enjoy group rides when the people I'm riding with are competent riding in close proximity to other riders. Riding with folks who are nervous and uncomfortable in that situation is going to have me looking for an exit very quickly. The pace could be social, or it could be a hammer-fest - I enjoy them both. Getting down the road quickly, in a tight group working together, is one of my favorite cycling experiences. My typical Sunday group road ride is a casual pace (zone 2-ish tempo) for the first half, and then we dial it up and get spicy, playing the game of bikes to the ride end. It's a really enjoyable mix. I enjoy riding solo, too, but more so in the dirt (gravel or MTB) than on the road. Getting dirty with a friend or two of similar abilities is always a really good time.

No doubt. I feel the same as well, but at the same time cycling itself is a risk whether riding solo or with a group. Friend of mine riding solo yesterday just posted on facebook that she crashed yesterday. Did a selfie of herself in the hospital bed with a neck brace on.

Ah, but solo riding gives on the illusion of greater control over your own fate!

I hate black olives. Actually, I HATE black olives.

I am ambivalent.

You’re DEAD to me.

and the Dutch.

You can leave them for me. Thank you.

I LOVE broccoli. Everybody in the family does. Rango loved broccoli.



But I know not everyone does...

+1 on the broccoli.

There are many types of group rides, and it is impossible to make such a blanket statement. As a starting point, when I go for a ride with my wife and another couple, is that a group ride? How about when I regularly meet a few of my friends? We have been riding together for over a decade. Does that count? Then there is our local seniors center, which hosts two weekly rides, regularly hosting over 30 participants, ranging from the Lycra speedsters to e-bike cruisers. We usually split up into different factions, regrouping for a coffee and snack (sometimes hosted by a participant). Then we get the club rides, which are also as diverse as imagined, having participated and led those for decades.



If I had denied myself those social experiences, I would have missed an incredibly valuable contribution to my life. It’s not like I am not comfortable with my own company, and having just completed a two-month solo cycle tour through Europe is a testament to this. I could not imagine not sharing cycling with others.

I agree with you 100%. I hate group road cycling rides and usually ride alone while on the road bike. It's therapy for an introvert like me. Mountain biking is for social/group rides.

Olives (black or green) - good (especially with feta)

Broccoli - bad

Cauliflower - bad

Trust issues?

Totally agree on Cauliflower. Yuck.

Back in my 30s, did group rides for 3 years and met lots of super people. We had parties and get togethers and even a couple from the group got married and all of us were invited. It was like an extended social club off the bike.

Life got in the way and stopped the rides when I moved away, so went solo. Rode solo for another 30 years, 15 of which was single track mtb.

After riding the same dozen roads over and over, decided to give group rides another try but was afraid that I couldn’t find a group that would go my speed, which as you know is not leisurely. The local Seattle bike org, Cascade, has rides just about every day of the week, and for just about every speed (social, leisurely, brisk, strenuous). Since there is no way I can ride at 20+ MPH all day, signed up for brisk, and just like the Three Bears, found a group that was ‘just right’. Everyone there is very experienced, since they are mostly in their 50s and above. And the club has parameters everyone must abide by, like calling and pointing out obstacles, maintaining a safe distance between bikes (no half wheeling or drafting too close) etc. It now is pretty much the same as when I was in my 30s except a lot more gray hair that still likes to go.

Suggestion: don't do group rides.
Problem solved.

When you don’t do them, you have nothing to hate. Just like Bob Dylan said, “When you ain’t got nothing, you have nothing to lose”. Or kinda, sorta, but really like that quote.

I've always liked olives. Broccoli and cauliflower have become tolerable as I've gotten older. Asparagus a bit, but less so. Brussels sprouts are a nope.

I wish there were group rides where I live; to ride with other people once in a while would be a blessing .

I left out asparagus. It's bad. Nasty.

You and 5-35 year old me agree. I won't make it for myself, or order it specifically at a restaurant, but if it's served on my plate I'll eat at least some of it.