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!