2. No, you're not aware when you have to slam on your brakes. The descent can be 10 minutes long at a high speed. You don't know every single corner by heart. You look at the map.

3. The people at the front know where we're going, but sometimes they miss things. It's nice to shout things at them when they do. They also rotate. I know there's a bit of gravel on this road, but they don't. I tell them. I know because I know we're passing town X or side street Y.

4. Even in a group, I'd like to know if there's a sharp turn coming, going into the city, etc. I want to know my heart rate, power, cadence, etc. I'd like to know how long the false flat that we're on lasts or when the next climb is coming up.

What I think is good if you get a lot of experience on the bike before you start doing group rides. That's what I did. Some people get fitness quickly after starting the sport and when they join the group rides, it gets dangerous - no bike handling skills, but the speed is high.

People get more distracted in a car, because the environment is so calm inside. The rushing wind, constant vibrations and the physicality of riding a bicycle fast keeps you way more alert and doesn't dull your background sense of danger like a car does.

Hitting a pothole you didn't notice in a bike is quite startling - "oh, I better pay more attention, that wasn't nice". In a car you're like "meh, that didn't sound very nice for the suspension, back to my SMS on the phone".