Group Riding Rules

 We have a great group, and we are going to do a lot of rides together.  Riding in groups can be easy and a lot of fun if everyone knows what is happening and has confidence in the rider in front and in back of them.  Here are some procedures we’ll use to make sure are rides are safe and a good time.
 
   1.     Make sure you’re bike is serviced and filled with fuel before we leave.

 2.     We will ride in a staggered formation with a consistent distance between each rider, usually 7-10 feet or about 3 seconds.  The easiest way to establish the interval is to look in the mirror of the rider in front of you, if you can see their face, they can see you.  Another way is to pick a fixed point, as the rider in front of you passes the point, begin to count.  You should hit the number 3 when you pass that same point.  It is important to the folks behind you to hold your interval, the accordion effect really magnifies to those in the rear of the pack.

3.     Anticipate what’s coming up.  If we come to a hill, add throttle a little before you begin the climb, this will help maintain the interval.  Every small town has a speed limit and there are usually “reduced speed ahead” (or something like that) signs that help anticipate a change in speed. 

4.     We will do the speed limit.  If that speed is out of your comfort zone, that’s OK.  Just be sure and position yourself toward the rear of the pack so you can still enjoy the ride and let the group stay together.

 5.     We will use the standard hand signals as well as our lighted turn signals; left arm straight out is a left turn, left arm up, bent at the elbow is a right turn, left arm down, bent at the elbow with the palm backward is the signal to slow down.  If you see the person in front of you hold up their left arm with the index finger pointed up, that’s the signal to go single file which we will us in situations like construction zones.  If the person in front of you points down to a spot in your lane, that means they are temporarily coming over in front of you.  For example when passing large vehicles or road hazards.  Just back off a little and give them room, they’ll return to their lane ASAP.

 6.     As we ride through towns we will close up the formation commensurate with the speed limit.  This will help keep the group together through stop signs, traffic signals, etc.

7.     We will get separated from time to time.  It is the responsibility of the ride captain to find a safe place to pull over (if necessary) to let everyone catch up.

   8.     Advise the ride captain if you are new to riding or new to riding in groups so the group can be advised to have patience and help you learn.

9.     When passing, do it just as you would if you were alone.  Watch the spacing of the vehicle being passed and be sure to allow adequate room before changing lanes.

If you can think of more safety issues, let me know and we will add them to the list.

Ride Captain Responsibilities

 1.     Know the route and pass the info out to the group in case of separations.

2.     Monitor the group at all times to make sure we are together.

3.     BE CONSISTENT, set the riding speed and make sure we stay at that speed.

4.     Advise riders of corrections that may be needed; interval, etc.

5.     Make sure we leave on time.

6.     Make sure no one is left behind.

7.     If we must pull over to wait for those separated, find the first, SAFE place to pull over.

8.     Give the group as much warning as possible for lane changes, speed changes, turns, etc.

9.     Advise the group if we have a rider that is new to riding or new to riding in groups.