What Bike Goddess said! Look for a rider with a smooth, steady cadence. Or ask someone in the group who you should look for as an example of someone with good spin. Then mimic her. This low-cost learning technique has greatly improved my performance in, and enjoyment of, skiing, cycling and running.

Mashing can also lead to a lot of unnecessary involvement of the upper body and loss of efficiency there. The less energy you spend winging your bike and torso around, the more energy you have to actually move forward. Conservation of effort.

Have a great time with the ladies!