Originally Posted by DelusionalDude

By no means am I an experienced rider, but I will take it upon myself to interject some thoughts anyway.

I am a beginner, raw and unskilled. I just bought a used bike in September. I have less total mileage than some of you do in a given week. But I refuse to ride in an organized group ride, even a no drop ride, until I can sustain at least a 12mph average over 20 or more miles. And I refuse to do so until I can ride it without putting someone in a ditch or into the path of an oncoming vehicle.

There are many group rides in my area, some are leisurely "no drop" rides, others are fast paced push and go rides. But I have enough pride not to want to drag the group down and make the experience painful and unenjoyable for others. I recognize that for me this is going to be a fun hobby as well as exercise. And just like all my hobbies I intend to try and be the best. And I recognize that others feel the same, but they are far more advanced than I.

It sounds to me that your friend is more interested in beach cruising and park riding than he is exercising and pushing the limits. You shouldn't have dropped him. But you should have made it clear that since you need a faster pace to enjoy it you would have to schedule a different time and different ride to spend with him.