In Good Company

I ride alone most of the time. Riding has become “me” time, and by myself I can go as fast and as far as I want. Most of the other riders I see on the greenways are riding by themselves as well. You do see riders in pairs and small groups and the occasional larger group, especially families. But mostly you see single riders. I rode with a friend recently and found it very enjoyable and a nice change of pace.

A little background: Even though I mostly ride solo, I’ve ridden on the greenways with other people. Sometimes I ride with someone who can go farther and faster than me. Other times I’m the one who can go farther and faster. I was looking forward to the ride with my friend, but I couldn’t help thinking about my past experiences. When I ride with someone who goes faster, I feel like I slow that person down. When I ride with someone who isn’t quite as fast, I feel like I don’t get as much out of the ride as I usually do.

Make sure you enjoy your company when you ride with a friend.
Don't worry as much about pace and distance.

 

We started out by riding down to the Neuse trail and turning north. Our goal was to make it to Capital Boulevard and back, a round trip of about 34-35 miles. We kept up a brisk pace at first and were talking about our sons (they go to school together and are teammates on the soccer team). As we rode, I found myself worrying about when we would have to adjust our pace. I was surprised at how distracting it was, especially considering that it was a beautiful day, it felt great to be out on the bike and we were having a very pleasant conversation.

It was the morning of Labor Day, and the trail was like the beltline at rush hour. Evidently most of the riders in Wake County had the same great idea we did: taking advantage of the holiday to ride on the greenway. We went by probably 20 sets of riders before we passed Old Milburnie Damn, and at least that many walkers and joggers. It was frustrating as our conversations were interrupted several times to make tight turns and pass people. We barely avoided an accident as we rounded a sharp curve and just missed a pair of handlebars coming the other way. We crossed the suspension bridge past Hedingham and stopped for an early water break. We talked for a few minutes, and it was then that I realized that my frustration wasn’t caused by worry about a pending change of pace. I was frustrated because the tight quarters made it more difficult to keep up the conversation. We also couldn’t ride side by side, which also made it more difficult to converse. I had stopped worrying about our speed.

Without admitting it to my friend, I decided to just relax and enjoy the ride, but mostly to enjoy the company instead of focusing on pace and distance like I do when I ride alone. We continued north after a few minutes. I never once checked our speed on my phone. But we talked more. I learned more about my friend’s position being eliminated (his company was going through a merger) and that he had an interview for a new job the next day. We talked about interviews (I went through a similar experience and shared some of my stories about it). I also learned that he was going through some of the same pre-teen issues with his son that we were experiencing at my house. We laughed at ourselves when we realized we sounded like our fathers when we talked with our sons. When we decided to turn around sooner than we had planned, it was no big deal. We made it to Horseshoe Farm park and saw the new picnic area and other improvements, then headed back to Knightdale. It was one of the most pleasant rides I’ve ever had.

My friend did well in the interview the next day and got the job (woo hoo!).