Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Pace changes

HI,
I ride with a group ocassionally and they seem all very nice, they do tend to draft rather close.
The one thing that really bothers me is they never seem to hold their speed constant, one min we are pushing 19mph and they drop to 16mph.
For me maintaining my cadance keeps me from feeling the pain so to speak, when you speed up and down it really makes me feel it more.
They are a B group 1/2 are B+ and some are B-, so its a mix.
I have been leaving a little early so I can get my pace right, I ve noticed when I maintain a even pace my heart slow after about 20 mins. I guess its a second wind effect.
I ride best in the 120-136 heart rate range. am I making a big deal out of nothing?
Doug

No you're not making a big deal out of nothing. That group has lousy ride leaders. It doesn't hurt to pace them out every once in a while.

No, you're not making a big deal out of nothing. One of the basics of a group ride is to maintain a steady pace. Unless, you're race training, which at those speeds you probably are not. Chances are that it may be nothing more than slower riders coming to the front of the group as others rotate back. That, or hilly terrain could be playing a role. To give you an idea of what some groups are after. A group I rode with in florida, which is particularly flat, expected pace to be maintained +/- .2 mph. It was your job to pull off the front when you could no longer maintain pace. Some folks could spend quite a while at the front, some would naturally rotate back without spending anytime pulling, most were somewhere in between.

if the pace drops too often ill move to the front and try to keep the pace more steady. the only thing is if the riders in that particular group are not strong enough for the hills. its quite annoying to have to let up and let the group regroup. i dont say anything because we all were there at one point.

if im riding with the "alleged racers" ill say something or get a few guys and see if they will break off from the group with me.

I can see the pace part but I'm lost on the cadence part? If the group slow just downshift to keep your cadence where you want it and visa vera.

Maintaining a steady speed in a pace line is a safety issue. Surges get people and equipment hurt and damaged.