Last night, a buddy of mine and I went on a group ride. It was his second and my first. As long as I’ve been riding, I’ve never participated in any organized events… at any level, or any type. This was a first for me, and to be completely honest, I was a little disappointed.

What it was:
An informal social ride.
Just shy of about an hour and a half.
A group ride.
A mid to light traffic urban ride.

What it wasn’t:
A high torque training ride.
A great way to meet people.

I was expecting a ride more geared towards training, be it in a group setting or on the road. It was generally understood to be a rather informal ride with no set agenda, other than to get out on some roads for an hour and a half or so. As far as informal social rides, I’m sure it was fine. There were all levels of skill and dedication, so in order to keep the group together, it had to be rather slow and leisurely. That’s fine, it’s just not what I was hoping for. I was hoping for a workout.

I was, frankly, expecting more of an open welcome. That’s not to say anyone was outright unfriendly, but there wasn’t a great deal of social interaction before the ride, or after. I’m sure at least part of it was me, as lately I’ve been more of a loner than is typical. What wasn’t me was the somewhat aloof attitude on the part of some of the other riders. There were two fairly clearly delimited groups: the racing team, obvious from their jerseys, and the rest of us, in t-shirts and street shorts. The front and rear ride leaders were members of the team, and were quite social if you happened upon them. I don’t think I heard the others speak a single word the entire time.

I’m guessing that this social separation is a learned one. There’s probably so much turnover in the ride participants that the regulars don’t really bother getting to know the newcomers anymore. Though disappointed, I’m going to give this one another couple of chances. It was a nice and relaxing ride, and I do need the urban and group practice. A few more rides will test my theory about the social aspects of it. Maybe I’ll actually meet someone who can teach me something.