Originally Posted by
big john
I got used to starting at 8:00 after doing 1000s of rides with the SFVBC plus that was always my work start time. On a long ride, say 80 miles, I don't like to stop too long but I really don't mind stopping for water, food, and bathroom breaks. If I'm on a group ride I'm never in a hurry to get done. Now that I've retired I'm less time constrained then ever.
I have some friends in Girlz Gone Riding and their rides tend to be a casual pace which is fine with me. I've done a few rides with them and had a great time.
You might like the Wolves mtb club. I've been on their rides when I was the slowest one and finished the ride absolutely flogged. Fun and satisfying in a different way.
I might feel differently if I were retired. But I spend 8-10 hrs a week just on my commute (not now, though, in the days of COVID19) so I don’t enjoy those rides that waste a lot of time. Let’s chitchat while we’re riding. If we’re going to be out for 4 hours let’s ride for 4ish hours. Of course I’ll stop for food, water, restrooms, regroups. But multiple 20 min stops are just not of interest to me.
Im not a very good mtb-er from a skills perspective and I’m very risk averse. I strongly prefer single track over fireroad. But I tend to be more fit than other people who are not very good mtb-ers so I want long intermediate single track MTB rides. So I don’t fit in too well with anyone in the mtb world either. Those rides seem to always be either 10 miles long with lots of fireroad and they take 3 hr. Or they’re 25 miles including lots of challenging single track that is above my pay grade. And I don’t push limits on the mtb much because on a professional level it’s pretty much a disaster if I break a bone.
But honestly I like GGR enough that if it wasn’t for the fact that most ride starts are an hours drive for me, I’d suck it up and ride with them anyway. Frequently I’m even jazzed about the ride and wanting to do it, but when the weekend comes I’ve got too much stuff to do and can’t really make time for a ride that ends at 1pm, I’d get home from at 2pm, and not be showered and fed until 3pm. That’s a lot of time devoted to a bike ride. Wish it were different, but that’s life.