Large group rides were always a weakness for KCC. Specifically because the club didn't have the people (or interest) in dedicated ride marshals, and the faster guys just couldn't resist jamming it when novices who didn't know better would follow.

Buried in the "how to race doc" is a link to the MGCC group ride protocol. It's a great template for what's expected when the group gets bigger than the people you are used to pinning number on with.

As an aside, the novice riders out for a social spin phenomenon is relative new. Generally speaking rides used to (back when onions were fashionable) be 90% people racing and 10% people getting warmed up to the idea or "retired" local racers (ala Bertucco) with the skills to ride in a pack.

As the newly minted membership director, I've been following this thread with interest. I've been with Kissena since 2017. My journey to joining and racing was: many years of all kinds of riding followed by about 1 year of club rides with Red Beard, followed by a spring riding with NYCC SIG, followed by several non-affiliated Cat 5 races, followed by a "Meet Kissena" ride, followed by joining and racing with KCC. This trajectory allowed me to gradually ride further and faster and to practice paceline riding skills with riders who were fit, but not racer fit. As I found myself outgrowing each of the pre-racing groups, I felt confident to move up a level.  With some time off recovering from race related injuries last season, I've been pretty active in local road races since joining KCC. While I support the idea of non-racers on the team, (especially those with experience and skills that they are willing and able to share with new riders), I was concerned by what I saw as a fall off in the numbers of KCC members racing Cat 4 and 5 races last year. In conversations with some new members I was surprised to hear that they weren't planning on racing. A fear of crashing seemed to be a common reason. Crashes do seem to be increasing and increasingly harmful, and race speeds seem to be increasing, so this a real concern. (I've also heard from older riders who stopped racing recently because of this concern).  I feel that X number of hours riding fast training pacelines goes a long way towards imparting the confidence to race. It's certainly fun. I also feel that for new members of the club getting out and racing a full season or more of Cat 5 races is what it's all about. Crashes aside, there's nothing better than actually racing in a real race, and nothing that prepares you to race like racing itself. I learned a ton from training rides and clinics with JP, John, Patrick, Eloy and other veterans of the club when I joined, (I still do). But my best memories, and equaly important learning experiences, were in the Cat 5 and 4 trenches with KCC teammates who were newish to racing. We raced and failed and raced again, getting better and more confident with each race. It's a new year. I hope we can continue to to grow the team, share our love of all things bikes, and have lots of fun riding and racing.