I got up the nerve to participate in my first club event last weekend, and it wasn't nearly as scarey as I thought it would be. However, there were a couple of people I knew from some weekly rides I've joined that I could ride with. If I had chosen to ride a longer distance than the people I knew, I think I would have been riding all by myself because everyone there seemed to be with a friend. Anyway, new stuff like that scares me and I'm proud of myself for joining in! They also warned me about some of the "C" rides the club does weekly ("C" designated average speed for the ride). Evidently some of them are "C How Fast They Can Leave You Behind" rides. My very fear, confirmed! I think I'll go back to joining in on the slower weekly ride that I met these people at in the first place. I ride a hybrid and I'm finding that I can only increase my speed and distance to a certain point and then I need a road bike to break that barrier. No cash in the budget for a bike this year though! Anyway, I'm glad I got up the nerve to venture out with the local club, and the first experience was a good one.