Afraid of drafting or group riding? Share with me why.

[Jolt]

I have never done any paceline riding but have done some riding in more casual groups where we aren't in a tight bunch. For me, riding that close to the person in front of me would just create a lot of unnecessary stress because of having to constantly anticipate what they might do and having very little time to react--would rather have some space and not feel like I am constantly at risk of crashing. Plus, as someone else said, I'd rather look at the scenery than the wheel in front of me...a big part of the fun of riding for me is to explore different places as well as enjoy the fresh air and exercise, so having to focus on what somebody in front of me is doing at all times would be counterproductive. I can't think of anything right now to add to the list of suggested skills to focus on. I am taking a class this weekend (Cycling Savvy) that has a bike handling component so may have some more ideas after that.

ETA: The other thing about drafting is that for me it would feel kind of like cheating...since I do a lot of my riding solo, I might as well get used to not relying on someone in front of me to block the wind!