Trust is a curious thing. Sometimes it takes months, even years to trust someone. Sometimes it is much quicker. Sometimes trust is gained without verbal exigence, but instead through psychological cues. Like when you are part of a group ride, leaving your fate in the hands of your fellow cyclists.

I never did many group rides before coming to GC. Sure, a few here and there, but I was never that comfortable in the middle of things, cyclists all around me riding at high speed, hand signals often alerting one to potential hazards, people about to be overtaken, road furniture, etc. The constant accelerations and decelerations around corners, when the group yoyos and when it must abruptly stop, these take concentration… and trust. You really hope that the person in front of you is doing the right thing, signaling the right things, as you must then relay the same information to those behind you. This is nerving, but not quite what I’m getting at.

Depending upon the road, group rides usually go either single file or two by two. Single file for the more technical/busy sections of roadway, and then two by two for the more relaxed, social time that many rides are composed of greatly. When in this state, you are probably riding anywhere from half a meter to much closer to the person next to you. Ideally this is someone you’ve ridden with before, so you know their quirks and riding style and can comfortably move closer without issues. But sometimes a new person is along for the ride, and it is then that you realize how dependent you are upon the recognized style of “regulars” for your own safety and peace of mind.

A few weeks back we did our regular Saturday group ride. We had some fixed sets to complete in the middle of that ride, and by the time we started doing them I was part of a smaller group, only six of us. Four others were regulars, but there was also someone there I was riding with for the first time. This person was in front of me, but not beside me, as they didn’t want to follow the four in front of us and ride two by two. Instead, he rode centered behind the two in front of us, meaning that I had to ride behind him, not next to him as we should have been. Maybe he wasn’t comfortable as he didn’t know the mechanics of our group and the riding styles of those in front, who knows. But I do know that I didn’t want to push him, didn’t want to force him to the side so that we could ride next to each other, three sets of two. Because I didn’t know him… didn’t trust him. He swerved a few times when I got close, either by accident or on purpose as a way of saying “stay back.” I don’t know, but the lack of trust on both our parts meant that we spent most of that time one behind the other.

This section of the ride, maybe half an hour, got me thinking of how easy it was to ride with other “regular” members of the team, as I had done so many times. We could ride very close, a foot apart, but the trust was there and we knew it would be ok. I often wish it were as easy to trust people outside our training bubble as easily. But this is not always the case.