what I like about group rides is that they can take me places I've never been
and as long as it is a good group (ie good leader again) they don't lose you.

If I tried to do THESE kinds of rides, I would get lost, or end up at the bottom of a huge hill on either side clueless as to which hill i need to grind up... Those kinds of perils don't happen when someone who is leading knows the way.