Originally Posted by shapelike

What you could do is just straight up request a "nobody gets dropped" group ride ... be it the Donut ride with some of the people from the forums or just us. I'm comfortable doing a ride the distance of the Donut and I don't have anything to prove, so as long as I can keep up with you I certainly won't be trying to ride you into the ground. That might be an easy way for you to pick up some group riding skills in a comfortable environment.