Talk me through (or around!) this...

[Zen]

I wouldn't do it. Trying to keep up would take all the fun out of it for me.

^that.
You would not enjoy this ride, at least not yet.
Keep looking

[TxDoc]

Can you just take a couple of hours one of these days and ride the route on your own as a test? That way you have an assessment of where you are at this time, and that - along with learning more about this group's goals and practices - will tell you whether your current fitness and goals are in line with theirs.

You mentioned that you ride 15-16mph on your own - given the reduced effort when you ride in a paceline, I would guess that puts you in a comfortable average of 18-19mph when riding in a group. Of course it's a wild guess, not exact numbers - but especially if it's a good group (i.e. people who know what they are doing), they will make extra work to keep you protected while you learn.
Usually when there is a new cyclist in the group/team, the group takes extra share of workload and allows the new people to progressively participate to the pulls - so that they can learn without being overloaded on the first day. If the group is big enough they may even assign you a companion (or 2) for the first few rides - someone who rides in the group but has the specific task to protect you during the first rides. For example if you need to slow down and recover, or to take a break, he/she would then pull you back to the middle of the paceline and so on. And, those would also be the people who give you some hints and advice to help you improve your skills.

But really the best bet is trying out the route to see where you stand, and then try a group ride with them. If it works, you have found your new group - if not, chances are that some of those people may have been around bikes long enough to be able to recommend another group that is more in line with your goals.
Good luck!

Hey Marni, we are almost neighbors!!!
There's actually a bunch of good group rides in your area... I'm too lazy to drive up in the mornings, especially when I'm post-call... but some of my buddies ride around Katy and they have a lot of fun.
Are you doing the flatland century?

[bmccasland]

Owlie,
You will ride faster in a paceline, and enjoy the slip-stream. The line will slow on the hills, then reform. However, if being dropped will fustrate you to the point that it's no longer fun (you feel "abandoned"), or riding in a paceline is scary in itself, then I wouldn't do the ride. But chat with the ride organizer and find out about the ride, and the guys that do it.

Spin up the hills. Lower your gear and spin. No mashing.

(yeah right... Then there was the hill where I got off and walked because it was faster and I had a leg cramp. )

[indysteel]

I agree that Owlie will be able to ride faster in a paceline, but if this ride is her first introduction to group riding, I'm not sure getting into a paceline--at least not a tight or fast one--is the wisest thing to do. I'll admit that I'm sometimes overly cautious, but I think the first step is to do some group rides where the group is pretty loosely formed. Get used to having cyclists near you such that develop a certain degree of comfort and awareness. From there, I would advise learning how to ride in a small paceline. Get used to being on someone's wheel and having someone on yours. Work on holding a steady spin and a light touch on the brakes. Learn how to use hand and voice signals effectively. Once you get comfortable with that, I think you can safely join a bigger and/or faster paceline with the understanding that you still have to be pretty darn careful.

Of course, if this group is willing to keep the ride more social and relaxed for her benefit, then that would be ideal. I was lucky in that many of the people I rode with as a new rider were happy to slow down a bit to bring me along. Couple that with some caution on my own part about keeping my distance from their bikes until I was more comfortable and a better bike handler, and I was able to learn the ropes pretty quickly.

I will say this, too. I think guys have a tendency to be somewhat protective of women riders. Call it paternalistic, sexist, or chivalrous, but most of the guys I ride with are happy to help the women in our group keep up. Of course, it was long my goal to be able to keep up without their help, but I can't say that it ever bothered me when my stronger male riding buddies were willing to pull me in or slow down when I couldn't otherwise make it. If Owlie joins this ride--now or in the future--my guess is that she might encounter a bit of that, too.

[zoom-zoom]

You've already gotten some good advice. I just wish I lived near you, since it sounds like we pedal at about the same pace and I'm working on getting faster and going farther, too. Most of the cyclists I know are either faster or slower than I--so it's tough to find a cycling buddy.

[Owlie]

I actually wound up not riding today due to things not related to this.
Thank you all for your thoughts. I usually ride alone, but my really long rides have been on bike trails where I'm unlikely to get lost. I think Crankin and Indysteel hit it on the head--trying to keep up at this point would be no fun.

This group is a part of my university's club, and while it theoretically has both recreational and collegiate racing members, most of the people who ride regularly are racers. I'm slow--I can hit in the 20s with nearly no effort on flats, but it's not a sustainable pace. My group riding experience has pretty much exclusively been with the boyfriend and his family, so of course they're going to ride loosely formed and slower than normal so that I can keep up. (I actually had to tell my boyfriend to go faster last time I rode with him. He underestimates me sometimes. ) Riding with people I don't know who probably expect a higher level of performance than I think I can provide is probably not the best introduction to more "serious" group riding.

I think I'll hit some hills tomorrow and during the week, then try out the route by myself (or see if I can find my friend who helped get me into this) next weekend. It's a route the club regularly uses, and I think I can modify it a bit to make it easier to get back to my place than from the meeting place that the ride uses.