Most things in life are better if they’re shared with friends. There are of course exceptions; your spouse is one. But riding mountain bikes is definitely a sharing thing. Getting a gang of friends together and heading out into the hills offers a lot more than company.

Motivation

Remember when your parents said they weren’t angry, they were just disappointed? That’s how your riding friends feel when you put in a lame excuse for not coming out, or turn up late and leave them standing around in the cold. We all know that’s worse than shouting, which is why riding with a group means you will get out more. It’s harder to ditch than a solo ride.

It’s not just about guilt-tripping yourself into riding though; you can’t beat group-ride banter, and post-ride beer/cake always tastes amazing. So if you’re suffering from general riding malaise, the thought of heading out is more appealing when you can catch up with your mates – or make them catch up with you.

Have an adventure

If you regularly ride all on your lonesome then you’re missing out – on trails. You may have a local woods you ride in, but somehow there’s always a trail you just didn’t know existed. All you need is a fresh set of eyes/ears. In exchange, it’s only polite to show off any favourite trails your friends may be unaware of – know the right people and a whole world of fresh riding will open up, right on your doorstep.

The hunger for new trails always leads to bigger things; the next step is a proper weekend or week away with your riding group, which is guaranteed to supply plenty of tall tales, amusing anecdotes and probably scars, as well as fond memories of trails ridden, corners roosted and climbs conquered. There’s nothing like a post-ride pub session for coming up with some really silly ideas for big adventures either. Try that on your own.

Skill improvement

Your riding group is the yardstick by which you can measure yourself. Even if it’s unconscious, there’s usually a pecking order, with who leads on the climb, who’s guaranteed to clear the technical section and who can usually be found cart-wheeling off the edge of the trail.

Riding with your mates positively encourages competitive riding, whether it’s to see who can clear that tricky uphill or who’s the fastest back down. As well as sharpening your fitness, this has the added benefit of honing your skills and teaching you new ones, especially if you have to push yourself to keep up or try even harder to stay in front. Realising you’ve become faster and fitter is a pretty amazing feeling, and a reward in its own right.

Be careful of the friends you choose, however. If you ride with people who are much better than you, it can be disheartening to always be last everywhere up and down, and that doesn’t make riding any fun at all.

The same goes if you have vastly different ideas of what makes a good ride. If you just want a pleasant social ride, there’s no shame in avoiding groups that turn up clamped into Lycra compression suits and riding bikes like knives, or those wearing more armour than a bomb disposal expert. Yet it’s worth giving everything and everyone a try – who knows, you might find your inner racing snake or downhill god.

Safety benefits

Should the worst happen and you take a serious tumble, companions can make the difference between a good war story and a truly life- threatening experience. Riding with your mates allows you to relax in the knowledge that someone will be there to help if it does go wrong, meaning you can try the tricky sections without the voice in the back of your head reminding you about the consequences.

And even if you’re the kind that gets egged on to do something silly because there’s a crowd there, and group riding results in more visits to the hospital, at least there’ll be someone to drive you there. What else are friends for, eh?

Top tips

• Not wanting to let your mates down is a good motivator to get out, so arrange regular group rides

• Ride with people of a similar ability to encourage rather than dishearten

• Use a group ride to judge where your skills/ fitness levels lie; it tells you where you need to learn and improve

• Get the most out of riding

  with a group of mates by planning a weekend/week trip

• Introduce other riders to your local trails to help you see them in a new and more interesting light

We've got all you need to know about bike riding, from where to buy to where to go. Check our these article for essential tips for bike riders:

• Cycling hardware
• How to buy a bike
• Cycling- how to hill climb
• Mountain biking
• How to mix up your regular ride

This feature is brought to you by Get Into Cycling from Future Publishing, the publishers of www.bikeradar.com

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