My uncle in Halifax said the group ride rule was never about pace, and I finally clocked why
I used to think the old rule about holding your line in a group ride was just about being polite, but after 6 seasons in Halifax I noticed the times I got squeezed were always on the corners, not the straights. My uncle, who has been riding these roads for 30 years, said the real point is that nobody can see your brake light in a tight pack, so you have to ride like the person behind you is already committed. Anyone else learn this the hard way?
Did your uncle ever tell you about the wind thing too? I rode in a pack for years before I figured out that the squeeze on corners comes from everyone drifting wide at the same time, so the guy on your inside has nowhere to go. I got pinched on a right hander two summers back and ended up in the gravel because I was watching the wheel in front instead of thinking about the guy beside me. Now I ride like everybody around me is already leaning in, and it has kept me upright.