Originally Posted by
jackb
What exactly are these skills that are so difficult to master in cycling that would enable me to ride with a group and that can't easily be acquired? The first time I rode with a group, a serious group that is, was many years ago. I don't remember having to master any particular skills. The most difficult part of the ride was keeping up, and that was simply physical fitness.
Well, just off the top of my head: whether you can hold your line, whether you can pedal a high cadence smoothly, whether you can look back or take a drink without wobbling, whether you can take a pull without accelerating, whether you can draft without letting a gap form, whether you can bump elbows without freaking out, whether you can stand without shoving your bike back, whether you can follow your wheel smoothly through a corner.