Remy - I ride in B group. It seems to be a good fit for me there. Most of the time at least 1/3-1/2 of the riders are faster than me in that group. I ran in C group last month when I was out there because of some bike-sharing logistics. I think I passed everyone but one or two people when I rode in there. I think that C group was pretty average. This particular day at Sears seemed to have me riding backwards though, and I rode in B. I got passed on the straights. In the turns. On the brakes.
I was trying to look up what the generally accepted times are for the groups (A,B,C) but can't find them. I know what Tigre runs, and Enzo felt he was doing about 2:00 or a little slower. I was running about 2:05 or slower based on my Garmin, but I have no clue what the accuracy is on it.
Like Spidey said, you just get used to getting passed in the straights on a smaller bike. I tend to try to take the middle of the track on the straights to allow people two paths around me. I'm generally not going fast enough to need the entire track for that first turn after a long straight (at least not at Thill or Sears, the only tracks I've ridden) so this plan works for me. The key is doing the same thing every time and just stay steady. The other riders out there will discover what your M.O. is and you shouldn't have any issues. It's sometimes tough to have a bike pass within 2' of you and not flinch, but I'm getting better at this. I'll often find that people on bigger bikes will cut my nose off and then I'll be able to stick with them through the tighter turns. Then the track opens up and they start to leave me--sometimes slowly--sometimes very quickly.
I've never had anyone ride like they *needed* to pass me after getting passed by me. I've had some people just do really dumb stuff around me, but it never seemed aggro. I think the ponytail sticking out of the back of the helmet helps a little in that respect.
Everybody's experience out there is a little different. Treat others how you would want to be treated--the old adage works on the track, too.
