Sean T

All these rules and restrictions and such are ridiculous. I'll never understand what makes people want to ride with a group that tells you how fast or slow you have to go or you'll get 'kicked off' the ride. Like someone already said, let people who want to stick together stick together and let the hammerheads go. How hard is that? Everyone is an adult. If they get lost then maybe they should have paid attention.
sean

panamapete

in life there's wolfs and sheeps...... pick which one you're gonna be....... or maybe if your are one of the ones packing some heat.... shoot a couple in the legs to teach them a lesson...... FIN

OldManRiley

The only time I ever ride with a group is on Sundays. There is a "C" ride which means 12-14 mph here, and lasts 30 miles with a stop for lunch at the 20 mile mark. However it is usually the only group ride on Sunday so we get a wide variety of skill levels. My last ride one other guy and myself took off from the group and paced ourselves about 17-18, spinning easy (for us) taking turns out in front pulling for each other and occasionally riding 2 abreast and talking. We waited for everyone else at the stop. On the way home he took off solo, but a woman in her thirties wanted to go a little faster on the way back so we rode together at 15-16 mph. She got a little more of a workout and I got some company. Nobody was upset by this, including the ride leader. However, the ride leader definitely had the majority of the group still riding with her, so I can understand OP's frustration at everyone pulling away.

My two suggestions: (1) make your peace with the fact that on any given ride of more than 3-4, people are going to splinter and ride at a faster pace than the group. Even "slow" people with better bike handling skills will have a slight pace advantage from drafting better. And fast riders will show up to C rides especially if it's the only gig in town that day. (2) Don't give anyone cue cards - then they'll have to stop at every intersection to find out which way to turn . And as many others have suggested drop the mileage to 25-ish to attract true beginners. 50 miles at 12.5 mph is 4 hours of saddle time - pretty intimidating.

Note: I don't ride the longer mileage fast to impress anyone, or win the Sunday Cup, and a lot of the time I do ride with the group. But sometimes, I just don't feel like sitting on the bike for 2 hours longer than I need to complete the mileage. I don't think that makes me a "hammerhead" or showoff, nor do I find that when myself and others go off the front it pushes the pace of the entire group. The ride leader has a computer, the people who want to ride the pace stay with her. And people who decide they want a little extra zest come up front - we had a clyde with us who pushed off the front of the group chasing us with no help, it took him a few miles to catch us and then he managed to hang with us for a very admirable 6 or 7 miles. When he got tired he just dropped back to the main group. No harm no foul. I'd like to think that the people who ride off the front are a motivator to those who need it, with little pressure for people who know they have no ambition to go hard.

AdelaaR

What you have to realize is that this definition is very vague and the meaning of it is relative to the riders.
You never stated how slow you actually went, OP.
For group rides ... I believe it makes sense to state a target average speed.
For instance ... when I go on training rides with my tri club we ride between 50 and 70 miles at an average speed of about 17mph.
We call that "easy rolling" with room for talking and such.
If you would come along and you would ride an average of 16 ... sure ... no problem ... the group would probably wait up for you.
If you would come along and you would ride anything below 15 ... no way ... we would simply ask you to find another group.
This is the reason why most cycling clubs have 2 or 3 group rides and most clubs I know actually state their target distance and speed to inform newcomers of what to expect.