Aye, been riding about 28 years (with a break in the middle, so actual saddle time is more like 16 years) and only a few times with one or two other friends and that's it.  No real group rides at all.  To be honest, I might like group rides and just not know.  One of these days I'll have to give a couple tries to see.

911radioman wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:09:


thats the way it was yesterday on my long ride to the mountain. just me, thumper, and the scenery. frankly i couldn't tell ya what i thought about all day. i didn't think, i just was one with the environment. stoped at every road side attraction/marker, and really enjoyed the day. fall colors were just starting to change, next weekend should be good . so next sat it is,  our virtual ride to check out the foilage.

You're so right about time in the saddle being the key. When I got into all this, I had NO idea how much practice would be required. It looks so easy when you see other riders on the road!

I have now logged 700 miles in the six weeks I have owned my bike (hope to add another 100 miles this weekend) and every time I get out there, I improve on a skill and get more comfortable. I get excited for the next ride because I know that my riding gets smoother with each mile, I learn something new every time I hit the road, and I enjoy it more and more. Plus, I'm just so darn proud of myself because I struggled SO much at the beginning, and I wondered whether I would EVER be able to put it all together. (I'm sure you can all relate to that feeling of satisfaction you get when accomplishing a tough challenge.)

I'm used to following my husband because I wasn't confident enough to take the lead. It has been reassuring and comforting to know that he's there guiding me, and it has been helpful for me to watch things like how he takes the curves.

Yeah, there are lots of times when he gets way ahead of me (usually on curvy roads), but he never pushes me to match his speed and he always slows down do I can catch up to him on the straight stretches. Now, I'm confident enough to take the lead myself, so I think we're going to try that this weekend. Plus, it will be good for my husband to have a different perspective on my riding and see if I'm making any obvious mistakes.

I see what you mean about riding on your own, though, when you can go at your own pace and do your own thing. I DID enjoy that part of my solo ride.

Vikki

Unfortunately, I didn't get in as much riding this weekend as I would have liked - only about 40 miles. Dang! I was SO itching to get out there, but other things came up, as things tend to do when you have four kids.

Even on that relatively short ride, however, I noticed an improvement. My slow-riding skills are getting MUCH better, which I discovered as my husband and I made a few stops and I had to travel through three or four different parking lots, including making a couple of U-turn-type maneuvers in which I didn't have to put my foot down.

We also made our way through a heavy-traffic area with some stop-and-go traffic that also helped improve my slow riding. I don't much care for that kind of riding, but at least I know I'm capable of it.

The excellent part is that I have all next week off from work and, with the kids all in school, we'll have all day, every day, free for riding! (Except for Monday, which is our Thanksgiving in Canada. We're cooking up a big turkey feast.) I just hope the weather holds out because I expect to log a lot of miles next week and make another jump in my skill level. I can't wait!

Vikki