You look fantastic, Jock. Just plain *fit. * Kudos and bravo and all that stuff. I love your description of happy country rides, lost in your thoughts. I am going to try to squeeze one of those in tomorrow. But guess what I’m doing after that? I got talked into brining my Platypus to an intro to gravel biking ride. Ha!
On Wednesday, May 17, 2023 at 1:32:19 PM UTC-4 John Dewey wrote: > I've been engaged with the pros / cons of group rides for many years. And, > despite my best efforts to see it clearly, I still waffle to and fro. > > These days, I'm always the only guy riding fly-by-wire steel and have > little in common with the folks on plastic bikes. There is no idle talk > about equipment (most drop their bikes off to have tires mounted). But I > like a well-organized paceline because it makes me stronger and builds > fitness. I have no lofty goals other than being able to ride 50 miles with > ease. In this regard, riding with a strong group is a means to an end. I > also feed on the euphoria of living the moment. It's exhilarating—the > speed, the awareness, the 'aliveness'...maybe even* the danger*. > > There is no past, no future, only *now*. > > But I enjoy—equally—long rides out into the countryside all by myself. I > never *feel* alone; I'm not concerned for my safety. I love the silence > and amuse myself as I get lost in my head. Though we are lured by the > comfort as miles pass by, we must always be sharp, vigilant, and prepared, > because each turn leads to the unknown regardless of how many times we've > pedaled down the road. > > I am quite a bit older than all my riding mates...that reality is hard to > ignore. I don't think about it much—as I *feel *youthful and prepared for > adventure. But some numbers cannot be ignored. The paceline distorts this > reality...and brushes it aside if only temporarily. > > At this point in my life, that's reward enough. > > Jock Dewey > > [image: Screenshot 2023-05-17 at 9.41.22 AM.png] > > > > On Wed, May 17, 2023 at 6:58 AM Ted Durant <tedd...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> On Wednesday, May 17, 2023 at 5:36:22 AM UTC-5 Jay LePree wrote: >> >> I think this is exacerbated by the growth of Swift, etc. Riders have >> increasingly big engines, but not the riding skills to harness them safely >> in a group ride. >> >> >> That's been a subject of conversation at the pro level, where people are >> being picked up out of Zwift Academy and getting pro contracts. Even >> before then, I saw lots of people with plenty of power but no group riding >> skills create chaos in the pack. >> >> What keeps me away from group rides these days, aside from becoming an >> old fart, is the rampant blowing off of traffic signals and "itching for a >> fight" attitude cyclists take toward car drivers. Also, as Paul Fournel >> says in _Need For The Bike_, "Hell is the rhythm of others." >> >> The guy I do most my riding with smiles and waves at everyone, regardless >> of how polite or impolite the encounter. And, he and I share the same >> rhythm 99.9% of the time. >> >> Ted Durant >> Milwaukee, WI USA >> >> -- >> > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >> > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com. >> To view this discussion on the web visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/c576434d-4678-41d1-b072-c620f18964fbn%40googlegroups.com >> >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/c576434d-4678-41d1-b072-c620f18964fbn%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/1a0bec3a-1974-4540-bb67-b8e86e3ddd50n%40googlegroups.com.
