Why would I want to join a group ride like this? Contribute? Maybe if I really liked the club and they had something to contribute to(What is the money going toward? Leader's bike parts?)
What's the pace like? People exaggerate when they talk about average speeds.
I tell people that I ride around 16-17mph average and they think I am turtle slow...But they either don't have their computers accurately set or they lie because I end up pulling them half the time.
Go out and have some fun, if you get dropped then you get dropped. Plus, if it is really bad(and I've been there) you can just suck wheels the whole way and train a bit harder so you can stay up front a bit more.
You'll never know from emails