Originally Posted by
Trsnrtr
Not really. My club uses Levels like 1, 2, and 3. I’ve seen what the OP wrote a zillion times over the last 37 seasons and it’s a big problem if there is no leader or a meek leader who can’t control the group.
The problem with even the posted pace is that it all goes to heck as soon as uphills and downhills are involved. Eg. our club uses and A/B/C designation, followed by a speed number, eg. C14, B18, A22 or whatnot... the numbers within each category can change, though C rides never exceed 15, B rides don't exceed 19, and A rides start usually at 20. A rides by default mean that paceline skills are expected.
The problem is hills.. the pace as listed by the ride is average speed on flats. The ability of riders to climb varies a lot. While one person is fine holding eg. a 18mph pace on flats, some riders will go up the 5% gradient at 12mph, some can only manage 10 or 8mph. On the downhills, there are those uncomfortable going full out and actually pedaling, and therefore do some braking on a descent. I've seen recently some ride postings (modern era stuff) where leader has posted the expected watts/kg output for the riders.. this for obvious reasons has all sorts of other flaws..