Group Ride Tips
 The fine art of getting it right
The group ride. Ahhhh. What a concept. Everyone goes for a ride
together and has an enjoyable day. But the more riders in a group,
the more things can happen that will change the course of the day.
There are a number of things you can do before and during the ride that will better your chances of having a smooth and
seamless day on the road with friends.
Route Planning
If the plan is to go north on highway 9 and turn right on highway
20, drive for 20 miles east and have lunch then there’s no need for
a map. But if your plan is to get to the same restaurant using every
tertiary road you can find, then a map or turn-by-turn directions
are advised and should be provided to everyone on the ride. These
types of maps can be created easily using software from companies
like Microsoft, Delorme or MapSource.
With an intricate route, it’s optimal to have two or more riders
with the routes loaded into GPS’s. This way if the front
of the group gets too far ahead, the tail can
rescue the lost souls in the middle.
If you are running a paid event such as a poker run or charity
ride, it’s a good idea to pre-ride the route no more than one week
in advance to be certain the roads are open, the checkpoints you
thought were there truly exist and you pick up on any last minute
things that should be added to the ride notes for the event.
Stuff to Bring
At least one first aid kit, air pump and tire repair kit should
be packed by a rider in the event they are needed during the day.
Whether you like it or not, it’s recommended all riders wear
protective gear – boots, gloves, pants and jacket with armor and a
full face helmet to minimize injuries in the event of a crash. After all – if you crash, the burden of your extensive injuries fall
on everyone else in the group until proper medical attention
arrives. It’s your friends who have to deal with the road rash all
the way up your left arm if you opted for a t-shirt and leather vest
over a protective riding coat.
Check Your Skill Sets – Slowbie Appears
Ask yourself the following questions:
- Have I ever taken a state approved Motorcycle Safety Course?
- Am I aware of how to ride in a staggered formation within a
group?
- Do I understand the concept of the ‘Delayed Apex?’
- Do I know what it means to ‘push right to go right?’
- Have I been riding a motorcycle more than 12 months?
- Do I ride my motorcycle more than 3,000 miles a year?
If you answered ‘no’ to any of these questions you are a
candidate for being the weak rider in the group. The more questions
you answered ‘no’ to, the weaker a link you will be. Sometimes known
as ‘Slowbie,’ a rider without the proper skill sets will eventually
surface and have less than suitable skills to be on a
group ride. Slowbie usually appears after several tight, turns
falling significantly behind the rider in front of them to the point
where they separate the group into two - eventually by several
minutes.
If you’re Slowbie, you already know what the group is thinking.
You’re not having fun and neither are the riders behind you. If this
happens several times during the ride, it’s time to ask for
directions to the nearest interstate, resign from the ride
and head home to brush up on your skill sets. You may begin your
skill upgrade by
using the keywords and phrases from the five questions above to search
the Internet. If you’ve never done so, take a State-approved
motorcycle safety course and then hone your skills further by
purchasing common-sense riding skills books such as David Hough’s
Proficient Motorcycling and
riding with
a plan on your own or with a riding partner until you’ve mastered
your abilities beyond being a Slowbie.
If a Slowbie appears in your group and doesn't bail, someone
needs to suck it up and gently ask them to bow out with an
invitation to return when they've matched their skills a little more
closely to that of the group.
Pods of Six
Large group rides can get messy quickly at a controlled
intersection. Over the years we’ve found it to be much easier to
break the group into pods of no more than six. This minimizes the
hassle of trying to get a large group of riders through a controlled
intersection and makes it easier for the lead to keep everyone
together allowing him or her to concentrate more on the ride and
less on the herding aspect.
The more skilled riders should go out together in the first pod,
with the lesser skilled riders riding together in the second and
later pods. Each pod leader needs a map if it’s an articulate ride
and the tail should have one just in case. Again – a loaded GPS
would be the preferred option.
Each pod should run about 15 minutes behind the other,
particularly just before meal time. Suppose you’re a restaurant
owner and all of the sudden 24 hungry motorcyclists show up on your
doorstep. It would be easier if riders arrived six at a time about a
quarter hour apart so you don’t throw the kitchen and wait staff
into a frenzy. And by the way – did anyone call ahead the day before
to make sure the restaurant would be open and warn them about your
groups arrival?
Beginning , Stopping and Ending
The best place to begin a ride isn’t at a restaurant. It’s at a
gas station. This way everyone has a chance to fill up and be ready
to roll with a full tank.
Depending on range, different people will need to gas up more
than others. Everyone needs water and a refreshment along the way
and everyone needs a restroom. The best place to stop? Not the biker
friendly bar. No, again the gas station with a convenience store is
the preferred stopping point for breaks. My timing wisdom on this is
to ride for an hour, stop for 10 minutes, then ride for another hour
before stopping again. This way we all get to do what we need to do
throughout the day. Of course, if you’re riding in the middle of
nowhere, it may be more like 100 miles before there are services, so plan ahead.
When you stop, it may be a moment or two before you can
communicate with another rider so be patient. Many of us wear
earplugs on the road to save our hearing from loud wind turbulence
and we need to get the helmet off and the plugs out before we can
have a conversation.
And where’s the best place to end the ride? Some say it’s
wherever the best pie is, others say the ice cream shop. For me the
ride isn’t over until I slip into my hot bath!
Patrick Thomas/Spring 07 |
