First group ride - what to expect?

[TipTopanga]

Hope all this hasn't put you off!

I've been barked at a couple of times. It reminds me of karate, when you start out you get a bit of barking, but it's usually from the brown belts, not the black belts

This thread has been kind of turning me off group riding to be honest. There hasnt been much talk about the positives of riding in a group

Outside of common sense (riding steady etc), it seems like there are a lot of unwritten "rules" which could get you in trouble or even ostracized for breaking...

Are people really that picky and unforgiving towards new riders (new to group riding)?..

[RonK]

Yes, they are - and with good reason. If you are a beginner you should join a beginner's group to learn the ropes.
Most shop rides or trainers will have one.

[Mububban]

This thread has been kind of turning me off group riding to be honest. There hasnt been much talk about the positives of riding in a group

Outside of common sense (riding steady etc), it seems like there are a lot of unwritten "rules" which could get you in trouble or even ostracized for breaking...

Are people really that picky and unforgiving towards new riders (new to group riding)?..

Don't let it put you off. Finding a nice group will make it lots of fun and very sociable.

I've been crook so only had my second group ride yesterday with the slow/beginner's 25kph group (I was late by 5 minutes last week and missed the start!), and they're a lovely welcoming bunch. Possibly because it's largely the golden oldies and mums so they're out to socialise, not mimic the Tour de France
For the first ride I sat at the back the entire time and chatted with people about hand signals and what to do in various situations, and that was great.
On my second ride yesterday I moved up through the group chatting with different people, and I rode 25-30% of it on the front of the group.
As my fitness recovers I'll give the next group up a try, but I do these rides to socialise and go a bit further than I might do on my own. Drafting is also nice

Keep it simple and if the group is a friendly one you'll be just fine.

[g-boaf]

Hope all this hasn't put you off!

I've been barked at a couple of times. It reminds me of karate, when you start out you get a bit of barking, but it's usually from the brown belts, not the black belts

This thread has been kind of turning me off group riding to be honest. There hasnt been much talk about the positives of riding in a group

Outside of common sense (riding steady etc), it seems like there are a lot of unwritten "rules" which could get you in trouble or even ostracized for breaking...

Are people really that picky and unforgiving towards new riders (new to group riding)?..

Just get together with a bunch of really experienced riders who'll show you the way. Everyone had to start somewhere.

[silentC]

It very much depends on the group. What I wanted to express was that IF someone does have a go at you, they are probably not that far beyond learning about group riding themselves. Hopefully, rather than embarrassing you, someone who has been group riding for a long time will just pull you aside and explain what you did 'wrong', why it's a problem, and what you should do next time.

[Bourney]

This thread has been kind of turning me off group riding to be honest. There hasnt been much talk about the positives of riding in a group

- Get to ride different routes than your usual
- Meet new people
- Get a different style of riding in (group V solo)
- Can hang at the back if you want some free energy
- Coffee hang outs

Plenty of positives.

[Mububban]

This thread has been kind of turning me off group riding to be honest. There hasnt been much talk about the positives of riding in a group

- Get to ride different routes than your usual
- Meet new people
- Get a different style of riding in (group V solo)
- Can hang at the back if you want some free energy
- Coffee hang outs

Plenty of positives.

These are all the things I'm loving so far, and also like any sort of exercise, you'll push yourself a bit harder/further/faster when surrounded by others. When you're on your own you tend to cruise along at less effort.