superdex, great post! love the imagery! i've been there as well..course, my outcome was a bit different from yours. after being dropped, lost, orphaned, forgotten, i caught up to the group at the next stop sign...and they let me hang, tag along, bungie cord with them. maybe because i'm a chick? course, that is what all my guy bike friends tell me: "they would never do that for a guy!"...so, maybe if you pad your jersey a bit, they'll slow up and let you follow along; think it'll work?