Pardon the wrong post in the "new to racing" thing. I guess I'm not totally new. I've done a taste of 4/5 racing and the local race sim ride. I still can learn though.
Story is.......
I went to a different hammer ride last night. There's a B/C, and an A ride. I guess the A ride splits into "crazy fast people" and "normal 3/4/5 racers". Three of us (4/5's, 4/5's without a team) somehow made the "selection". It's a race-sim ride. Some really fast folks, I'm told a mix of one 3 and a couple P/1/2 folks, usually select ahead early at this group ride. I didn't know this. I bridged up or latched on or whatever.
I've heard it over and over to ride with faster people to get better, that was the plan. I didn't feel it helpful to play backdoor for half the ride on the flats because us 4/5 riders lost a guy on the first hill "selection" and the much stronger two teams on the ride were controlling stuff with just the two of us left. Outnumbered, out gunned.
Didn't really feel I belonged as a "tag along" Cat 5 with a bunch of team members with a p/1/2 mix. I could get up front with them and into it if the road went uphill for a bit. Not flats though. And it only went uphill once really.
I got bored enough I half considered blowing up on purpose in the last 3 miles just to do something.
Suck it up and play backdoor OR eff it and drift back and hurt the 3/4/5 folks instead? I don't want to feel like I'm in the way of "their fun" by just being able to hang around. I'd probably do better or have more fun if there was a hill or two more as I'm skinny enough that'd be my chance to lead or do something. Just to be followed/reeled in 30 seconds.
Thoughts on the Cat 5 dragging on the coat-tails of the fast folks? Hang on and suffer and stay out of the way? Try something and blow up? Screw it and mix it up? If you made the selection and they couldn't drop you, you still belong?
Side note: I was a bit perturbed folks weren't calling normal group ride road hazards and stuff. Maybe once or twice I heard or saw a signal. I get it's a "race sim" group ride, but it's still open road and nobody paid an entry fee. I was calling hazards when I saw it. Or, maybe I'm deaf.
I'd certainly gain something from trying to hang with these folks, but got the impression I'd wear out my welcome over time.