FAQ
"The whole group riding thing is kind of a sticky subject. Most group riding is what I call "social group riding" where the basic intent is to be as inclusive as possible. There are many problems with this approach and it doesn't work for me.
I call what we do "interest group riding" to distinguish it from the rest. Our riding centers around specific common interests, such as pace, passing etiquette, frequency of stops, etc. The key difference is that in social group riding, the group adapts to the newcomer, and in interest group riding, the newcomer adapts to the group.
In social group riding, our rules would seem strict and unfriendly, but our group has self-selected to be people who like our particular rules. For example, we want to avoid things like the "slowest common denominator" (one person who is much slower and holds the group up all day), people who enjoy the "gas game" (not starting with a full tank of gas, forcing extra gas stops) and smokers who want to force everyone to stand around in their gear on a hot day while they smoke, etc.
It's nice to do the social group thing, but you can take on strangers and wind up riding a whole season, never getting to ride the way you'd really like to. It's a big problem when people know you're into navigation and sees you as a navigator/ride leader that frees them of the need to learn to use a GPS or try to follow written instructions. Everyone wants to "tag along."
Interest group riding works best for me."
I must agree with Norm and think this is pretty much how we ride as well!
