Today I set out on my own to do a solo training ride.

About 30 minutes into it, I encountered by chance a group of about 12 cyclists on the road. I didn't know anyone in that group; they were all strangers to me.

Nonetheless, without asking for their permission, I jumped on the back of their train and rode with them for about 45 minutes, until it was time for me to head in a different direction from them. Nobody in the group seemed the slightest bit surprised or annoyed that a stranger they had encountered on the road just plopped himself down in their midst.

I've had encounters like this many times before. It is, in fact, common for a group of road cyclists to accept an unfamiliar person into their group as long as that person rides safely within the group. I would have been surprised if this group's reaction had been unwelcoming.

Think about that for a minute. Do you know of any other group of people that behaves the same way?

I love to run as well, but somehow I don't think I would get the same sort of acceptance if I suddenly started tagging along with a running group that I encountered by chance while on a solo run.

What do you think?