I need to master this skill.
Actually, I need to master the art of just riding with a group. As a kid, we rode to get from point A to point B and I don't recall a lot of chatter until we got where we were going.
Tonight, not for the first time, I went out with a group. I was the slowest rider in this group - by a large margin - and keeping up took a lot of energy. There was also matter of who moves ahead if you are more or less side by side and there is someone ahead or the path narrows. I have no idea what the ettiquitte is - if there is any. But it took a lot of my focus wondering if there was and what I should do. Then there was the challenge of venturing into groundhog territory for the first time since my failure to navigate around one back in early August. I did not want to fall again with these folks - at least not until a more appropriate amount of time has passed.
So, I didn't want to be rude to my friends who were chatting away but my limit for multi tasking while riding a bike was being tested.
It was a fun ride though and my longest distance to date. My Garmin battery died but Lyn said it was 21 miles.
I ride with groups relatively frequently (okay, not nearly so frequently this summer as in years past), and there's always a mix of talkers and non-talkers. I think the talkers tend to recognize that the non-talkers are either super-focused or just not able to pedal and talk at the same time (hey, I've had days like that). I don't think I know anyone who takes quiet on a ride as rudeness. :)
ReplyDeleteGood job on 21 miles!