Quote: It is not considered good manners to join a group without an invitation. Properly you should have either hung back a little farther or gone on and passed them.
I agree. It's not that they didn't like you or your bike or your helmet. To them you were a stranger and your riding skills and habits were unknown to them.
Personally, I don't want strangers riding too close to me to avoid a potential mishap.
No harm, no foul.
Ride safe.
What would you have done if i came upon your group, and I filed in? Keep in mind they were about 20-30 feet apart, staggered. I stayed at least 50 feet back, maybe more, and in the same formation.
Clay
I ride alone most of the time and I'm not crazy about strangers riding in my shadow. In my experience, most riders are doing their own thing and will pass you, or you'll pass them, and you exchange a wave or a nod.
We can't get inside their heads. But to assume you, or they, did something wrong is unnecessary. It all worked out OK. Some riders will ride with you, others won't. It takes all kinds.
