Originally Posted by
big john
If you're reasonably fit you should be able to adapt to group rides again. Whatever you can do alone might not have any bearing on what happens with a group, though.
The key to happy group riding is finding the right group. Riding alone is ok but riding with friends is better, imho.
Yes, key to riding is to find a few 'right' groups, if they're out there...
Riding solo has it's Bene's. You get to dawdle when you want, and you can drill it when you want. And everything in between. Group has it advantages also.
One thing I find, if riding solo mostly, one tends to get 'slower'... over extended time. It's the way of the universe... even though expansion is supposedly 'accelerating'...
Riding in groups which challenge you, also keep you at your speediest best.
So maybe slower is ok also? 2 sides to that coin. When you;re slower, the going gets harder (not the inverse of the Lemond axiom...). WHen things get harder, there's the chance of them not being as much fun... Hills get steeper, longer, the headwind becomes stronger and the road somehow gets rougher.
So whether alone or in a group, one regularly must challenge themselves... push thru the backward slide.
I find 'alone' can get weary. In a group, faster is more awakening, more challenging and more engaging mentally. And my slide into oblivion seems to be held up/slowed, for just that period in time.
...
... also... if you have a serious competitive edge to your character, getting out with some 'intent' definitely helps temper character, and makes me much more fun to live with...
... it's hard to be grumpy when you are ridden hard and put away wet... LOL!
Ride On
Yuri