statelax3

I am a total road n00b. I played lacrosse in college so I used to be in great shape. I have been out of college for 5 years and went from a lean mean 210 to a plump 285. It helps that I am 6'2 but I am still a fatty. With that said I obviously qualify for a Clyde. I have always loved biking and I road a lot of mountain bikes in college. Oddly, I have always been drawn to watching pro cycling. Having Lance riding while I was in college made it even more exciting to watch. With that said I decided I needed to lose some weight and get into shape. I have been riding 4-5 days a week for the last 3 weeks. I ended up loving to ride my mountain bike on the road and really felt out of place when guys on their road bikes would pass me. Being competitive and a former college athlete I figure I want to start passing them. So I went and got fitted at the local bike shop and walked out with a Rocky Mountain Oxygen 30. I bought Rocky Mountain because my mountain bike is the same brand and has never given me any problems......

Back story over.

I am riding in my first group ride tomorrow morning at 730. They list the ride in 4 different groups. The groupings I have listed below. I need some input on which group to ride in. My last ride was Thursday night and I rode 16 miles in 55 minutes. I did this alone as all my rides have been so far. Do you all think riding 20-25 miles in a group being an issue since I have not ridden over 16 miles yet? Also is your average speed usually faster in a group or is it about the same as riding solo? I am curious if I should ride in the slowest group or the next to slowest group? BTW on my 16 mile ride Thursday I felt like I had legs to ride another 16 but my butt hurt to much ride another 16 mile loop. My heart rate stayed between 138 and 154. My Karvonen max is 191. I would appreciate all input. Do not worry about hurting my feelings if what I am trying to do is too much. Just let me know. You all have much more experience than me.