Also, one benefit of knowing as many people as possible was demonstrated in B1 today. Sitting in at the back of a pace line that's momentarily got you beat becomes much less disruptive when you know who people are. You can holler out people's names as they hit the back, telling them to pull out. This saves them the uncertainty and danger of having to look back, confirm you're not playing, and only then pull out late and surge.
Even in the pace line, knowing names helps avoid the confusion that ensues when someone says "last wheel" a little too loudly and two riders pull out at the same time.
In short, using names makes communication at speed unambiguous and safe.
Knowing each other as people—and not just anonymous, Lycra-clad, sets of churning buttocks—doesn't just make us safer, it also makes group riding more psychologically satisfying. But that's probably a thought for another long-winded post. Just come to coffee more, pleasethanks.
