Hi All.
I am new to this forum. I started riding about 3 months ago (after not riding for 20 years) and took a beginners class with a bike club. It was really nice and supportive. Went from 8 mile rides to 25 mile rides in 8 weeks and felt pretty good about that. Traded my comfort hybrid Specialized Globe for a faster flat bar Specialized Vita Sport (so I could keep up).

But now that the class is over and I attempt to do club rides, they are really too hard for me and I get dropped and end up riding by myself (unless a club member hangs back with me). Since they are going all over the place to places I am not familiar with, I really don't want to do those rides alone. There doesn't seem to be anything for cyclists after the beginners class is over.

Part of the problem is the distance, but the biggest part is the hills. Where I live, it is all hills and some of them are pretty major. Once you get past riding around the 4 mile bike path and some parts of town, you have to climb. The club rides are generally about 40 miles, and they mention a place where you can turn around to cut out some distance. But although I can keep up where it is relatively flat, I get behind on the hills and never catch up.

I went on a bike trail by Sacramento (that is flat) and was able to ride 38 miles, which shows just how hard the rides here are, as an 18.5 mile hill ride just knocked me out. So, what are others doing when they are past beginner level, but not quite up to club level?