Riding vs. Commuting

This morning I went on a ride before commuting to work.  The ride was pure pleasure.  The commute was fun, but felt old. 

Ten miles of riding at an easy pace was the morning order.  My neighbor, riding an old bike that he resurrected last year to try cycling, joined invited me along.  We rode at his pace, which was decent, and had a nice chat. 

Near the end, as we climbed out of the river basin, he said, "You don't have to wait for me."
To which I responded, "Yeah, but now I'm interested in what you do for work."  So for the next few minutes I quizzed him on the intricacies of his work while he slogged to keep pace up the hill.  Actually, he did really well.

For me, it felt so great to make time to ride with someone, that even if he were pushing me beyond my limits, I still think I would have had a great time.  I like doing many activities for the social aspect.  I like doing some things enough that I will do them on my own also.  Lately, cycling is my lone wolf sport, but I really enjoy good company for a ride!