Quote Originally Posted by gingerale View Post
No signs, either. Is that unusual?? They said they'd have them but on the route, I only saw 2 and they were up to the first rest area. Then nothing. Just had to go by the directions they handed us in our registration bag. Is that normal?
Route markings vary depending on the ride, but especially if you were told the route would be marked, I'd definitely let the organizers know about that. Lots of people (me included), might not be super careful with their maps/cue sheets if they believe the route is marked. Having helped mark routes myself in the past, I would DEFINITELY want to know if riders didn't think I'd done my job adequately.

To answer your original question, yes, most organized rides I'll start on my own. I'll usually find people riding a similar pace for a while, then there'll be a rest stop, etc. When I did the Lone Star Ride last fall, I was all alone for a good part of it (and since that route was also pretty poorly marked, it was a little bit scary).

Good job getting out there!