Supratada - don't worry about not being as fast as the others.
I can tell you from personal experience that being slower than everyone else is not a problem - the fast guys just stop and have a bit of banter now and then to let us stragglers catch up.
If a ride was meant to be competitive, difficult or for flat out riders only then Si or whoever organises it will state that beforehand. Otherwise just take the plunge - I did with the dirty weekender last year having not ridden for ages and put on a chunk of weight.
My legs were totally gone 2/3 through but no one complained and actually I think a couple of the guys were glad to keep me company for a bit to get a sneaky rest themselves!! It was a great day out and reminded me why I got into mountain biking in the first place.
Just choose one of the shorter or less stressful sounding routes and go for it. I'm going try to get to some rides soon so I can keep you company at the back!
I can tell you from personal experience that being slower than everyone else is not a problem - the fast guys just stop and have a bit of banter now and then to let us stragglers catch up.
If a ride was meant to be competitive, difficult or for flat out riders only then Si or whoever organises it will state that beforehand. Otherwise just take the plunge - I did with the dirty weekender last year having not ridden for ages and put on a chunk of weight.
My legs were totally gone 2/3 through but no one complained and actually I think a couple of the guys were glad to keep me company for a bit to get a sneaky rest themselves!! It was a great day out and reminded me why I got into mountain biking in the first place.
Just choose one of the shorter or less stressful sounding routes and go for it. I'm going try to get to some rides soon so I can keep you company at the back!
