Now when I say group riding, I bet some of you are imagining a scene from a movie where about a hundred cyclists are all heading down the road together.
Well, this is not always the case, but whether it is 2 bikes or more than 100, you have to consider many different things.
Some simple tips for group riding.
The first thing I always tell people is: NEVER step out of your own comfort zone, don’t try to keep up with someone if they make you nervous, don’t get carried away by your own abilities, if you’re in a group, your ” friends “or other cyclists will wait for you at the next intersection if you have not managed to keep up. If they don’t expect you, you have to tell yourself, are these the people I really want to ride with? Remember it’s not just about the bike, it’s just about the rider. I have gone out with many groups and, to be honest, some travel much faster than me and no, I am not going to keep up with them, I have also traveled with people who are slower than me, do I go and leave them (I can listen to some of my friends now saying I should) but no I don’t. It’s not just about how quickly you get there, it’s more about the journey.
So the second tip for group riding is, try to maintain your position in a group. If you are the third, fourth or twenty-fifth bike in a group, stay in position, as riders who cross in a group They can be dangerous, since we are all busy looking at those in front we do not expect someone to make a fast overtaking inside or outside, and if for some reason you have to move suddenly, you have reached the scene of the accident, and believe me Know how much it hurts to fall off a motorcycle.
That said, if you need to get past those in front, please do so, but remember that they may not expect you. Now something to consider is the size of the group. I have traveled with 2 motorcycles and also with a couple of hundred.
When the group is very large, you may want to consider some of the following.
Does everyone know the route?
Not? You may want to use the corner man system.
The lead rider will indicate where they want the next rider to stop at an intersection to indicate to the rest of the group which direction they are turning at the traffic light / intersection or roundabout. the “marker” will wait for the tail pilot or rear gunner or whatever name you want to give the boy behind to catch up, then the marker can rejoin, usually in front of the tail pilot. Once you have rejoined, hold your position and eventually you will be behind the lead driver.
That brings us very well to the tail rider, it can be anyone in the group, but if someone who has a distinctive motorcycle or clothing (some groups use a different high display for this rider), it can be helpful, just let everyone know who is the pilot. tail rider is. In addition, the tail pilot must be aware of the route he is taking and also have the number or the means to communicate with the lead pilot.
In very large groups you can sometimes find tour marshals, these will normally always wear high visibility clothing and will even have flashing amber lights to identify themselves, they may even be blood riders, but certainly advanced riders of some sort (ROPSA or IAM).
So I thought this was going to be a quick post, but it turns out there’s a lot to consider about group riding, and I haven’t covered any more yet.
I hope you enjoy reading this and will post more soon.
Safe driving
Simon
