Well, the local bike club has a "Beginners ride" tonight, I called and talked to one of the officers who's number was on their page. I was thinking maybe this wouldn't be a huge challenge,, um,, he said they'd probably do 25 miles at 16-18 mph! In a group of 20+ riders, well, now I'm hoping I'll be able to keep up! He told me they'd tuck me in the middle and let me draft,,, I'll let you all know how that went for me in a few hours!
Wish me luck, and keep me in your prayers!

Good luck! Have Fun! Stay safe! Keep your eyes and ears open!

Good luck. If you're not back here tomorrow we'll send out the search party.

They have some pretty advanced "beginners" up there.

Speed and distance get easier in a group, so you'll probably be just fine.

If you do get dropped, it's not the worst thing in the world - just make sure you know how to get home from wherever you end up. If the choice is between severe overexertion and letting yourself get dropped, go for the latter.

And if you don't already do this, a good security blanket consists of a cell phone, a credit card, a little cash, and some ID. It's a good idea to have those along on any ride, but if you're with a group that might take you farther away from home than you usually go and to an unfamiliar part of town, they're good for added peace of mind.

Have fun!

Good lord that's a beginner's ride**********?

My cycling club has "newbie" rides once a month... the distance is generally between 12 - 15 miles (with a coffee stop in the middle) and the pace very slow, under 10 mph (depends on the group).

I am not certain if I can do 25 miles at 16 - 18 mph! Jeepers! And having a beginner draft??? OK... again good luck. Hopefully you mean a beginner club rider and have been riding on your own for awhile (not trying to scare you away but as a 30+ year club rider I know the pitfalls).

Good luck and report back...

You rarely know from a ride description whether the speed is an average speed, or a "typical speed when cruising on a flat stretch". I suspect they are saying they typically cruise at 16-18, which is far different, and easier, than averaging 18.

Well, back in one piece. We averaged 16.3mph for 23.84mi. according to MapMyRide.
https://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/43286850

However I started the app while we were organizing, probably really did it in 1:20-22 I think. Wouldn't change the average speed much.
Had a great time, the Seyboro cycling club in Goldsboro, NC is a good group of people for sure. At the end, there was a couple who "Broke away" and were sprinting, (I found out later, there was 4 mi left.) Silly me took off with them, hung for maybe a mile or so at 24-25! Then dropped back and another guy riding about 18-19 caught up with me, and we paced in at that speed. Had a blast.

Glad you had a good time. Pretty speedy for a beginner ride though. I ended up sweeping our beginner ride on Sun. and probably averaged 12 mph.