Are you a big fish or a little fish?

It was at the beginning of my weekly group road ride on Saturday -- the call going out, "Fast group leaving'' -- when a question hit me: When you ride in a group, are you normally the big fish in the little pond or the little fish in the big pond?


Too few cyclists on these Saturday rides elect to ride with the first group. Sure, some are just weekend warriors and don't race, so it's not worth it to them. Others, by the looks of their physiques, do a lot of riding and could stand a challenge but elect to take the safe route and avoid the possibility of being just another rider in the group, or heaven forbid, dropped.


This is a key choice that can either sharpen your fitness or massage your ego. In general, you should bury your ego and choose to ride in a group that's pushing the pace over your comfort level, i.e, be the little fish in the big pond. Nothing -- and I mean nothing -- will motivate you more and bring out your best than the fear of being dropped.


If you get dropped, you must resolve yourself to try and stick next week. That can be difficult; nobody enjoys getting their ass kicked and it's human nature to avoid uncomfortable situations. Confidence is mainly about ego, the thought that, hey, I'm one fast dude. There's nothing wrong with a heaping dose of it. Just don't let it get in the way of a nice challenge. Getting humbled now and then is healthy for a competitive cyclist.


Therefore, always electing to ride in a group where you're among the fastest, will massage your ego, but will it make you faster? If you train to successfully race a bike, you should begin every ride asking yourself, "How will this workout make me faster?'' not "How will this workout boost my ego?''


I like to be the little fish. If I had a nickel for all the times I've been dropped ... well, you get the idea. But when I'm able to finally stick, well, that's a real boost to my ego.


So next time you saddle up for a group ride, throw caution into the wind and join the fast guys. And if you become their equal eventually? Well, there's always someone faster in the group up ahead.