For those of you who are starting in I but have never ridden Barber: MAKE SURE you tell your coach this is your first time on Barber that 1st Session PLEASE, and maybe ask if you can continue to follow a few laps after we turn everyone 'loose' after the 2nd lap....Barber isn't Tally. There are several blind spots that can put you off the track if you don't know them or get too jiggy with it...we will be glad to help you get up to speed on them and by the middle of the day you'll have it figured out.
I fully intend on tagging along with a coach in the morning. taking applications for any coaches willing to tow me around in Intermediate? I have no shame.
You should ride YOUR group. You were bumped because of your skills to a particular group. If you're advanced. Ride advanced. Have a new bike? Who cares, your skills got you to that point, not the bike. When people bounce around groups, you have to make adjustments. Passing rules are different. This can cause indecision or you may make a judgement decision and forget to take the rules of that group into account. If you've never been to that track, just ask a coach for help. They're out there in EVERY group. But moving around groups at will is a bad idea. You may go from advanced to Intermediate and as you get up to speed again, be over paced for the group. Also, when you bump down, you become acclimated to "that" pace. This makes it more difficult to get back up to speed when you go to the higher group. Ask any coach. It takes a long time to learn to set your pace per group at will.