One of the shortcomings of the cycling club scene in the UK is that they tend to be racing-oriented. This is not a bad thing in itself but it means that the "group rides" - usually referred to as club runs over here - are geared to training, not recreation, and are often dog-eat-dog affairs that few non-racers are strong enough to survive. More clubs are trying to move in a more recreational direction to encourage wider participation, but most are still pretty macho.

Most of the time this is the worst of both worlds. It's poor training - you need to do the training session you need to do, not ride at someone else's pace - and it's discouraging to the newcomer. In general I train alone, and if I want to be sociable I'll ride with a few friends rather than any organised group. But on the latter occasions I'm not trying to achieve anything, I'm happy just to potter along at their speed. Trying to find riding partners that match one's own natural pace is pretty much a futile exercise, IMO.