First organized group ride?

[kaybee]

Nafula, thank you so much for posting regarding this ride! DH and I had planned to do it, but I forgot that it was coming up soon -- gotta register. We will either do the 44 or 64 mile option not ready for a century yet.

KB

[bikerchick68]

another thing I'd add is to not cross over your wheels with someone ahead of you... if you ride up on someone and clip their back wheel, chances are that you will go down...

I did this ONCE at 18mph... and somehow kept the bke upright... but got slingshot' d into the traffic lanes of oncoming traffic the bike karma gods repaid me in that moment for every single flat I've ever changed for someone else.

[nafula]

Nafula, thank you so much for posting regarding this ride! DH and I had planned to do it, but I forgot that it was coming up soon -- gotta register. We will either do the 44 or 64 mile option not ready for a century yet.

KB

Yeah, I'm not doing the century either. If I'm lucky, and that's a big IF, I might make it 44. If not, I'll turn off at the 27.

Also, I intend to stay at the back the entire time. I'm not very fast, so I want to stay out of other peoples' way.

These are great suggestions. Thanks!

[Geonz]

I'd stay away from the *front* - but it can also be a mistake to want to start at the back, especially if you find a group of riders to hang with (which, if you're "just" doing 27 or 44, may not be doing the paceline thing - but just riding together).
I appreciate some of my regular, slower riders who will actually take off first when we've stopped, and ride a nice steady line, knowing that other riders will be coming along around them and joining them. It's psychologically also a lot less discouraging to be somewhere besides the back end all the time - and it's often a mistake to assume you *are* the slowest. There can only be one
If you're riding in a straight line and being predictable, you're not "in the way." It's a group ride; people will expect to deal with other riders
I agree, though, that your wisest move would be to find groups to ride with now. It's different! It's fun, though!