Why are they not wearing gloves???

[PKPK]

I don't think you guys would want my slow ass dragging behind really. 

"Slow" does not mean you are discounted from any rides here.  It means you need to hook up with (me) particular people (me) who don't really ride hard (me).  I tend to ride the kind of bikes that do not keep up with hardcore sportbikes so I usually wind up leading groups that like a sedate pace.  Actually since that tends to be bikes with big fuel tanks, we often get to lunch stops first since we don't need to make "Superhawk stops".  I also sponsor a ride at the far end of the calendar called the Turkey Ride, the day after Thanksgiving (statistically the last decent day for a long Wisconsin ride.)  The beauty of this ride is that only hardcore sport touring types tend to show up for this (and they better have some electrics.) 

[Ray916MN]

I don't think you guys would want my slow ass dragging behind really.  

We don't want anyone feeling pressured to keep up much more than we don't want anyone's slow ass dragging behind. We want everyone to ride their own ride, so we provide route sheets with pre planned gas stops and a lunch stop. You can't ride your own ride if you don't know where you are going.

People ride alone, ride their own route, ride in different groups or whatever and just show up at the pre-planned gas stops and lunch. There was one guy who was a member for years who aways rode the routes backwards. I never met him, as he never stopped at the planned stops or lunch. Just waived at him as he went by, going in the opposite direction.

Funny that a key to having a safe group ride in my experience is encouraging and enabling everyone to ride their own ride.

[PKPK]

Wanna race to lunch next ride...lol ( I am joking !)

I'll race you to Denver!   

[Greg]

Back on topic:

I gotta imagine that if I see someone riding without gloves it means they are either on the bike for their very first season or they hardly ever ride. The one or 2 times Ive ridden without gloves (early in my riding career) I discovered that at least for comfort it's better to have some sort of gloves on. Pebbles thrown up from the road hurt the fingers!