I tried my first road ride with a shop group a few weeks ago and it did not end well (for me)... It was advertised as a casual, easy pace, no-drop ride. When people started showing up with very high priced equipment and lycra color matched to the bikes I was thinking "Uh-oh". And, a young lady who was there for the first time agreed that 'this doesn't look good'. But the leader reassured both of us: "Don't worry, you can do it -- and we don't drop anybody"...

As somebody else pointed out, there was no course map. From the beginning it was me and the female at the back of the pack and falling further behind with me behind her. Then after a mile or so I found it harder and harder to keep up -- something was not right. I was even pedalling hard on the down-hills. Then going up a very narrow highway road with NO birm at all I realized the front tire had gone almost completely flat... So I stopped as they pulled away.

Unfortunately, there was nowhere to walk or even stand on that busy highway. There was a rock wall on one side and a guard-rail and cliff on the other. I couldn't even get off of the road. So, I pushed the bike up onto a side street.

I never did get that flat fixed: After putting in a new tube, I had it inflated to about 80-90# when the valve stem separated from the tube. I called a cab...

Later I learned from my LBS (a sister shop of the one who organized the ride) that the leader had eventually gone back to look for me but had never found me. (Which was probably because I was up on the side street changing the tire...

It is probably my last road ride...

But, all of that is so unnecessary:
-- Why was a course route not given out ahead of time so I would be able to decide for myself if I could do it or wanted to try it?
-- Why were cell phone numbers not exchanged? I could have called or they could have called me...
-- Why was the speed and intensity of the ride so misstated? That was not a 'casual pace' -- those guys were serious!