Ganaraska Cherry

So last minute I packed the truck and printed the directions to a place I've never ridden before to join an MTB club that was hosting a group ride. Ganaraska forest is beyond huge. Something like 100km+ of trails! Definitely not a place you want to goto alone as you can get lost for a very very long time. It's not unheard of people having to stay overnight because they couldn't find there way out. Upon arriving the 17 riders split into two groups, slow and fast. I stuck to the front of the fast group. The hosts of the group ride chose a near perfect set of trails with surprisingly excellent flow. Riding with Defiant MTB made all the difference, this trip was definitely worth while. We lost a few riders at our lunch break as they didn't stay for the final 20 km, however after a good 10km into the last loops we were down to only 5 people left. There is alot of climbing and sand which took its toll on people.
When I join the group rides, its to just have fun and be social. I'm not looking to race anyone or push the pace, I just want to enjoy the trail with others. I spend so much time training and riding solo that it's welcoming having others around that I can share the experience with, especially when I'm riding with my wife. I tend to be able to hold any pace or distance just about anyone can throw at me so I always adjust my ride to match the people I'm with. Alot of people feel pressured when a quicker rider is around, they don't like their back wheel being ridden by someone behind them so they go too fast and get sloppy riding out of their comfort zone. As much I try to avoid this, it happens alot. So I end up riding out front more or less alone as usual lol! There is a few other club's rides out there that would label me as the 'slow guy' and give me a real good workout. I love these, but most of those groups are rather 'clicky' and don't invite outsiders to join them often. So many clubs, so little time.