Cool story bro.

I did my first group ride in Sept. It was a shop ride and looked pretty daunting seeing everyone on their flashy bikes and gear but most of the route happened to be on the hills I commute on daily, so it was actually anticlimactic and I ended up finishing in the middle of the pack. I chatted to one guy beforehand and thought I lost him up ahead but actually finished ahead of him. And I swore I overheard some people at the end talking about using me as a pacing target (I had lights on as it was twilight, but hardly anyone else seemed to. Too heavy I suppose.) At one point I think I accidentally "attacked" because it was a hill I knew well, so I got a lot of speed going down it so I would use less energy going up it. As I went up I initially overtook a whole bunch of pro-looking guys, but as I slowed down up the hill they seem broken up and some of them flew by all of a sudden. I guess they were probably riding as you're supposed to ride hills, but I knew the climb well and how short it was.

The main things I learned - a) I suck at descents b) I suck at fast turns c) I especially suck at turning during descents d) I am great at clipping in fast (thank commuting + crank brothers for that). Every stop sign/light it seemed like I was braking waiting for folks in front to clip in.

My second group ride was a century a week later. I recognized a guy from the group ride there. Small world.