Group Rides

 When I first started riding, I joined a couple of group rides.  I did a few rides with them.  I remember going to Port Dover on the edge of Lake Erie and to Fenelon Falls in the Kawartha Lakes area and we'd have lunch together before returning home.  I believe there was another ride I did with the group but don't remember now.  What I do remember though was how uncomfortable I was riding with the group.  Don't get me wrong, I like hanging with them but there were a couple of things I didn't like.

Riding should be fun and it shouldn't be just to get from point A to point B.  Often, that's how it feels like when riding in a group.  You don't get to stop and enjoy scenery or to take a break whenever you feel like.  You're part of a group.  You follow the group wherever it goes and whenever it stops.  So, I felt I lost the freedom that comes with riding freely.

Riding in a group also means you're riding behind someone all the time.  It's ok for the most part but if you're following someone who has a tendency to brake for some obvious reason, it's very unnerving!  Your instant reaction would be to brake as well and that's what happened to me in one of the rides.  I couldn't understand why the person in front of me was braking.  After a while you want to ignore it but complacency is dangerous.  You need to be on the alert at all times on the road but a red light that frequently flashes in front of you is just no fun.

It's all cool when we get to our destination.  There, we'd have lunch together as a group.  The group would tend to leave shortly after lunch though.  I'd find myself alone because I like to stick around and explore the town.  I'd stay back for an hour or so then would head back home, on my own.  I didn't have a GPS navigator back then and heading back home often meant getting lost for a bit before finding my way to the main roads.

Nowadays, I just ride by myself or sometimes I'd have a passenger.  I don't get to grab lunch with people but that's fine. I like being a free spirit.