Hey James. I couldn’t agree more. I actually backed out of a group ride because it had grown to 50+ people. Not my cup of tea. One of the main reasons I love mountain biking is the solitude. Maybe I’m just the loner type. Love meeting random people on the trail and striking up a conversation. That makes my day.
Hi James, I enjoy your column and advocacy. I don't know whether you are serious about not riding in big groups, either way is fine. But, as someone whose MTB riding and social circle got a lot bigger and better from big group riding, I have to disagree. In Orange County and I'm sure elsewhere, without the big Meetup and Facebook groups, MTB would be a fringe activity, the big groups let solo riders, especially the new and uncertain riders, and those who are socially shy, find people to ride with. This is a good thing. I run a big group so I may be biased.
If it's a fund raising type event, I enjoy a big group ride. Once every few years. But for normal every day riding, 4-5 is plenty.
More often than not, I ride alone, once in a while with a friend or two but not often.
I will avoid certain trails on certain days, because I know they have a "Wednesday night ride" . Parking is full, trails are clogged. No thanks.
Hey James. I couldn’t agree more. I actually backed out of a group ride because it had grown to 50+ people. Not my cup of tea. One of the main reasons I love mountain biking is the solitude. Maybe I’m just the loner type. Love meeting random people on the trail and striking up a conversation. That makes my day.
Hi James, I enjoy your column and advocacy. I don't know whether you are serious about not riding in big groups, either way is fine. But, as someone whose MTB riding and social circle got a lot bigger and better from big group riding, I have to disagree. In Orange County and I'm sure elsewhere, without the big Meetup and Facebook groups, MTB would be a fringe activity, the big groups let solo riders, especially the new and uncertain riders, and those who are socially shy, find people to ride with. This is a good thing. I run a big group so I may be biased.