Breaking up (with your group) is hard to do...etiquette advice?

[indysteel]

so what's the deal with no aerobars on a group ride? I don't understand.

As I've always understood it, if you're in a paceline, you need to be able to react quickly and/or signal with your hands to prevent an accident. That, and some (though not all) people aren't as steady in holding a line when they're in their aerobars. I have some friends I don't mind riding with when they're using their bars. They're really steady, and I keep a little extra distance. Other people, not so much. At group training rides (where the paceline is pretty big and pretty fast), I strongly prefer that people not use them. It's the club's policy that people don't. Plus, you shouldn't need them. That's the whole point of a paceline.