Quote Originally Posted by thekarens View Post
You hit the nail on the head. I went on my first "no drop" ride that was supposed to be 12-14. Well, at the time I knew I could do 12.5, but that group zipped of at the 15-16 range. I didn't come back for a couple months when I knew for sure I could do 14. It was really discouraging.
That raises an issue that I think happens a lot for group rides: The rider leader should make clear whether the posted speed for a group is the average or the "rolling" speed. That can make a big difference in someone's ability/expectation to keep up. If a group averages, say, 15 mph for a ride, then attendees will have to be able to maintain speeds higher than that to keep up.