Interestingly enough, as an experienced cyclist, many of the group rides I go on are "stay at the pace of the slowest rider, other than on climbs". On climbs o

Interestingly enough, as an experienced cyclist, many of the group rides I go on are "stay at the pace of the slowest rider, other than on climbs". On climbs of any reasonable difficulty it can actually feel worse to go slower than your comfortable pace. Waiting at the top of a half hour or longer climb for your friends is also not a particularly enjoyable thing to do either. You start to cool off right after sweating and can get chills, so even with this rule of regrouping at climbs, it's still better to stay within a certain skill band. A great cyclist and a beginner can enjoy hours together on flats, but on climbs, at some point neither will really have fun. Having been the slower rider on climbs as well, I don't mind just rolling over the top and keeping on either - keep the heart rate up, and avoid cramping from stopping. The bottom line is, etiquette should be established, not assumed or internally debated. I have groups I ride with where the rule is social time until we hit the climbs, then after that, if we regroup we regroup, if not, everyone knows how to get home. I have regroup mandatory rides where we all want to keep an eye on each other as well. All of this is established BEFORE you go, so there is no dilemma involved. I think this analogy can apply to a lot of the other analogies.