Thanks for the tips, daneil. I was planning of sitting towards the rear on one of the sides & just try to get comfortable riding with a fast moving group & hope I don't get dropped on the hill. I'm not the strongest climber, so my biggest concern is an attack dropping me on the hill, but with the terrain after the hill I'm hoping that if I do get dropped I can catch up to the pack later. Only one way to find out, though.