I think one of the conversations on this thread has reached a consensus.
Alex / John, you are pretty much on the money. Call it
Full-fat,
Vindaloo,
Training or whatever - there's one or more groups where the pace will be varied and dare I say it riders will take delight in seeing their fellow clubmates struggling at times. And there's other groups (the majority) to cater for riders who want to ride a consistent, even pace with the emphasis on a social ride - call them the
Skimmed,
Korma or
Clubrun groups or whatever. Plus there's likely to be a flavour or two in between.
Errr.....So what happens next
Clearly we don't want any more instances where those who enjoy their clubrun 'mild' are given any more unwelcome 'spice'. I suggest some fine tuning of the groups titles / objectives for each ride is needed, these need some peer review and then should be published. There also needs to be an onus on VCs to ensure the rules of the group are clearly articulated in consistent language everyone understands at the outset of the ride. From the (ahem) limited occasions I have been out, I'm not sure that happens all that well.....