Community (Care in the...)

Cycling can be if you want be a solo pursuit. Nothing wrong with that, I'm quite fond of the odd solo road or trail ride. I did a hell of alot of them in Europe this summer, to the point it was odd riding with other people when I got back.

But riding with others does add a certain something to the ride for better of for worse, whether its a shared smile at the end of a particularly sweet section of singletrack or a shared grimace on a super steep climb.
However Group inertia can get to be a bit of a drag when numbers of riders are pushing double figures.

Around the world, Bike forums and email inboxes are alive with talk of group rides and arranging who's bringing what whisky and sweets on winter night rides.
Like little elite squads of singletrack soldiers, groups are heading out into the night armed with lights, the aforementioned alcohol, and warm clothing and riding trails not normally permitted under the watchful eye of the sun.

If a bike is ridden on a footpath and not a soul sees you, is it naughty?

Question: If all your riding buddies stopped riding tomorrow, would you keep riding?

I would, I reckon most people would too.
Riding is what you make of it, whether riding on your own or with others.