Unless you're a mass start bike racer. In which case at least one weekly pack ride is useful for practicing the types of skills that just can't be practiced solo. Also rides with teammates so you maintain a sense of their riding style and tendencies.

so appreciate the feedback. A few points:

- It's not that I don't/can't ride solo but I was doing that 99.9% of the time last year and got boring....even when I have a goal..it's my nature to be social
- I am relatively new to this group so didn't want to go in and start saying "what you oughta do....". Once I get some familiarity with them I will speak up a bit. For now, I will role model what I expect and hope it rubs off of some.
- good points on defining what I want these rides to be. I guess I was mashing group ride/social with training. I will be more overt of what I expect. It's early into my training season so don't have a really defined goal other than to get miles in.

I'm like the guy earlier who admitted to just being really unsociable.

I like to ride by myself, i like to swim by myself and to run by myself. I even lied to the Tri club that i couldn't make the Friday run sessions due to commuting, just so i could run by myself instead. If i have to make chitchat with people it's a distraction and gets in the way of my training and my peace and quiet.

My first marathon was partly ruined by people running alongside making conversation when i just wanted to focus and do the work, and i've had countless moments of peaceful cycling ruined by people wanting to amble along and talk when i want to focus on my power.

If i want to be pushed by the presence of others i do a race, otherwise i train alone. I even edit the XML file on Zwift (so i choose which world to ride in) so i can ride on empty roads.

I dont think you would be more or less social if you picked riding with a group or alone. I have always have done my outdoor rides by myself or with one other person. I think both have their benefits but for training, I would rather ride alone because its the most realistic way for me to get practice in (not draft and gain watts) and keep to my own training plan. If I do a ride with another person, its mainly a recovery ride or at medium efforts. Nothing big. Dont get me wrong, I do like riding with others but I just feel like I get the most out of my training when going at it alone.

I do get where you are coming from with moving a bit ago. Its a good way to meet others in the sport and also learn more about the area. I might have to consider this since I might be moving later in the year.

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2020 Team Zoot MTN

The thing with group rides is finding the RIGHT group.

I've been extraordinarily fortunate over the years in that where ever I have lived or trained, where ever I have visited, I've always managed to find good groups to ride with.

The other important thing to understand is not every group is going to deliver the same experience. And when you show up for that ride, you ride the way the group is going to ride - it's not the OTHER way around - them riding the way YOU want them to ride.

Part of this for me, is that when I was younger, and in the early days of triathlon we road with road-racers and road riding clubs almost all the time - they were ALL good riders. Thus we learned the protocols, rules and etiquette of classic road-riding group riding. For riders of a certain level THIS is the way you ride - I've ridden with various groups of riders all over North America - and I've NEVER had a problem falling in with a group - even when I am a complete stranger or newcomer to that group. Reason? Those protocols, rules and etiquette, among cyclists of a certain level, are for the most part, universal - from local club rides to riding with Pro Tour riders and even a couple of former TDF Yellow Jersey wearers (not you know who!)

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

good that you know where you stand!

i ride most of my rides solo. sometimes with my brother in law who lives in much better cycling territory than i do.
i like the social interaction but my group riding handling skills are horrible, and i suspect that i'm a risk to anyone around me. might seem backwards, but i do more group runs and solo rides than vice versa.

So lets break this into 3 issues. 1) It sounds like people in your group are riding in the aero bars while in the pace line? If so, I'd bring this issue up for sure. Dangerous. 2) Rider who surges the second you pull off after a pull. Not really cool, but easily solved if you just make sure not to ride their wheel. Maybe say something politely over beers some time, but wouldn't be a deal breaker for me. 3) Rider who sits in all ride and then sprints into town. Once again, not really cool but I wouldn't view as a deal breaker. I'd wait till you get more comfortable with this rider and then start chiding them after rides about not taking their turn.

Just my 2 cents. I probably ride 1/3 solo, 1/3 in small groups (2-4), and 1/3 in big groups. I used to always do #2 above (surge right after getting to the front of the pace line) until someone pointed out that this wasn't really fair to the rider that had just pulled. Wouldn't have known or thought of it unless someone said something.

it's definitely important to have people to give others instruction/guidance without a condescending tone. I don't do a lot of group rides but for a few early ones where I was even more new to the rules, I was lucky enough to have people let me know what to do without being a dick about it.

Almost always alone due mostly to schedule and distances covered. Very few friends do anything really long anymore whereas that is what I am into. I don't know if I would even enjoy a group ride anymore.

I'm in a similiar dilema, where I ask myself from what would I benefit more, from a 3hr group ride with a high VI, low avg power and higher np or a solo ride with steady watts but lower np. Anyways most of the time I end up choosing for a groupride atleast once a week to chat with the mates and keep things social.

I do a lot of group rides.

On last weekend's ride, there was a top 5 kona finisher, two world tour riders, and a few continental pros. And a handful of amateur hacks like me.

Group rides make you faster.