Woo-hoo--high-fives all around! You're an inspiration to me.

I know just what you mean. I rode by myself for years and never could break the amazingly sluggish average speed of 12.5 mph. But just lately I've been riding with assorted others more often, and now I'm up to somewhere between 13.5 and 14 mph! Not fast for a lot of readers of these forums, but for me--it's like breaking the sound barrier!