Originally Posted by
jackb
The emphasis on going fast on bicycles has driven me nuts most of my cycling life, and that's a good fifty years. I simply don't understand riding as fast as you can for twenty or thirty miles. If you are racing, well then, racing is another sport entirely. I'm a hiker and would never consider hiking as fast as I can to my destination and have never left anyone behind with whom I was hiking. The same is true for me when I cross country ski. I ride alone most of the time or occasionally with a friend. I like to have conversation when I'm cycling with others, something that is impossible if we are all speeding along. I do ride with a local club every now and then that claims to not drop riders but they do anyway. If you are going to do something with people, why would you want to leave them behind? Imagine going for a walk with a friend and then speed walking and leaving the friend behind. Makes no sense to me.
I race and most of the group rides I go on are either team rides where we may be working on specific race situations or training, or race rides which are sort of unofficial races. Even in those kinds of rides there are definitely neutral portions where the pace is easy and there's plenty of conversation. I really look forward to those parts of the ride. I would also note that--in my experience--when racers go on no-drop social rides, they are not the ones pushing the pace. That's the Cat 6 brigade.