Post by troglett on Jan 22, 2014 13:27:06 GMT 10
Hi folks ,
I just wanted to throw up a bit of an ettiquite discussion for those of us thinking about leading rides .
As you know , I'm not adverse to leading and you'll find that I tend to practice what I'm about to preach , for want of a better expression.
These observations come from a few group rides I've been on and not led , either with SRA or just with mates and my main objective here is to make everyone's experiences on group rides better and maybe set some guidelines for new folks thinking of leading...
Scope your ride out ... if you're trying to take the group down "roads less travelled" , which is something I like to do, go out and test ride the route before you post it as a group ride . That way you can actually have a clue as to what types of hazards may be out there which don't appear on Googlemaps before you run into them at speed with other people right behind you. You can also warn people of any gravel sections on the ride as this may sway some people's decision to participate . On a ride which has been done lots of times , heck there's only so many roads that go to everyone's favourite destinations , then the scope out ride may not be quite as important as surprises are less likely.
Leaders and road position .... If you're leading a ride , please remember ..everyone behind you judges their road position from you.The "classic" leaders position is front (duh!) and in the right hand wheel track . If you, as leader choose to be front and left hand wheel track , thats fine ... the most important thing here is STAY THERE , unless road conditions decree otherwise. If you're wandering all over the lane like a chicken which can't decide which side of the road it should be on ( chicken..road..old joke) you make it very difficult for the rest of the group to maintain an effective stagger position and the folks behind you will probably not be in a good mood at the next stop. The stagger is a good safety practice on group rides as it visually presents a bigger object to other traffic ( we almost look like cars to car drivers because there's TWO headlights coming toward them and two sets of tailights in front of them , which lets face it is all they are looking for )....make it easy for the group to maintain the stagger , not have to keep changing around .
Moving into lower speed limit zones while on the road... if you're going from a 110k zone ( for example )down to a lower limit zone as marked by those big speed zone signs we should all be able to read from 100m away ..dont get to the sign and just drop the throttle and decelerate as fast as compression will allow or worse jam on the anchors , unless you want everyone behind you to be very angry and possibly even run into you ..plan your deceleration to make it smooth and comfortable for everyone .The use of the classic "left arm out waving up and down slowly" signal for "slow down" is also quite a useful tool here as it will tell everyone behind you what you are doing.
Here's a link to a little chart with some commonly used group ride signals ...just for reference
hand signals chart
Hazards on the road ... Dirt , debris , animal carcasses , Valentino Rossi wannabes ( I could say HD crankcase parts and clutches , but that'd be being nasty hehehehe) etc lying on the road can be hazardous , particularly on corners and especially to newer , less confident or less experienced riders ...please use the hand/leg signals to point them out to everyone behind you...make the ride safe for everyone.
Overtaking ... If you feel it's necessary for the group to overtake a slower moving vehicle ( yep..it is , I'm not arguing that point) make sure that there is sufficient room on the road for the majority , if not all of the group to SAFELY overtake as well .I'm not suggesting that the leader is responsible for every decision people make , if there's not room ..dont overtake ..it's always an individual choice , but by the same token the term "leader" brings with it implied levels of responsibility TO others.
It hurts no one and gives us a more positive image to other road users if we wait until it is safe to do things rather than being the cause of angst by having to cut people off or squeeze through suicidal gaps as we overtake them.
Also , don't overtake and then once you're in front of the vehicle(s) you've just overtaken drop the throttle , because you'll be putting everyone who's followed you around in danger . Give everybody room to be safe.
If the group gets split up after overtaking , personally I feel it's really your job as leader to slow the "front" group down so that the people who get left behind can catch up , it's not for the folks in the back to ride at suicidal speeds to try to catch you... nobody wants speeding fines and in some cases the people who stay at the rear of the vanguard tend to be less experienced riders who may not have the skill level you do ( or in some cases think you do , but don't ).
Keeping the group together is part of your role as ride leader.... the old Marines saying "we never leave a man behind" is how I feel you should be thinking as a group ride leader.
Another personal note here..if I'm on a group ride and the leader decides to try to break the land speed record ...I don't and wont go with them as I value my license and more importantly my life . It would probably also put me off wanting to participate in any future rides that person led.
I could also talk about the bad habits I've seen in groups by "corner marking addicts", the "I'm Valentino Rossi" brigade and "I'm a stuntman" people ..but I think that might be another thread in itself..
As always , feel free to discuss and agree or disagree with my opinions ..thats all they are ..opinions.
Cheers
Trog
I just wanted to throw up a bit of an ettiquite discussion for those of us thinking about leading rides .
As you know , I'm not adverse to leading and you'll find that I tend to practice what I'm about to preach , for want of a better expression.
These observations come from a few group rides I've been on and not led , either with SRA or just with mates and my main objective here is to make everyone's experiences on group rides better and maybe set some guidelines for new folks thinking of leading...
Scope your ride out ... if you're trying to take the group down "roads less travelled" , which is something I like to do, go out and test ride the route before you post it as a group ride . That way you can actually have a clue as to what types of hazards may be out there which don't appear on Googlemaps before you run into them at speed with other people right behind you. You can also warn people of any gravel sections on the ride as this may sway some people's decision to participate . On a ride which has been done lots of times , heck there's only so many roads that go to everyone's favourite destinations , then the scope out ride may not be quite as important as surprises are less likely.
Leaders and road position .... If you're leading a ride , please remember ..everyone behind you judges their road position from you.The "classic" leaders position is front (duh!) and in the right hand wheel track . If you, as leader choose to be front and left hand wheel track , thats fine ... the most important thing here is STAY THERE , unless road conditions decree otherwise. If you're wandering all over the lane like a chicken which can't decide which side of the road it should be on ( chicken..road..old joke) you make it very difficult for the rest of the group to maintain an effective stagger position and the folks behind you will probably not be in a good mood at the next stop. The stagger is a good safety practice on group rides as it visually presents a bigger object to other traffic ( we almost look like cars to car drivers because there's TWO headlights coming toward them and two sets of tailights in front of them , which lets face it is all they are looking for )....make it easy for the group to maintain the stagger , not have to keep changing around .
Moving into lower speed limit zones while on the road... if you're going from a 110k zone ( for example )down to a lower limit zone as marked by those big speed zone signs we should all be able to read from 100m away ..dont get to the sign and just drop the throttle and decelerate as fast as compression will allow or worse jam on the anchors , unless you want everyone behind you to be very angry and possibly even run into you ..plan your deceleration to make it smooth and comfortable for everyone .The use of the classic "left arm out waving up and down slowly" signal for "slow down" is also quite a useful tool here as it will tell everyone behind you what you are doing.
Here's a link to a little chart with some commonly used group ride signals ...just for reference
hand signals chart
Hazards on the road ... Dirt , debris , animal carcasses , Valentino Rossi wannabes ( I could say HD crankcase parts and clutches , but that'd be being nasty hehehehe) etc lying on the road can be hazardous , particularly on corners and especially to newer , less confident or less experienced riders ...please use the hand/leg signals to point them out to everyone behind you...make the ride safe for everyone.
Overtaking ... If you feel it's necessary for the group to overtake a slower moving vehicle ( yep..it is , I'm not arguing that point) make sure that there is sufficient room on the road for the majority , if not all of the group to SAFELY overtake as well .I'm not suggesting that the leader is responsible for every decision people make , if there's not room ..dont overtake ..it's always an individual choice , but by the same token the term "leader" brings with it implied levels of responsibility TO others.
It hurts no one and gives us a more positive image to other road users if we wait until it is safe to do things rather than being the cause of angst by having to cut people off or squeeze through suicidal gaps as we overtake them.
Also , don't overtake and then once you're in front of the vehicle(s) you've just overtaken drop the throttle , because you'll be putting everyone who's followed you around in danger . Give everybody room to be safe.
If the group gets split up after overtaking , personally I feel it's really your job as leader to slow the "front" group down so that the people who get left behind can catch up , it's not for the folks in the back to ride at suicidal speeds to try to catch you... nobody wants speeding fines and in some cases the people who stay at the rear of the vanguard tend to be less experienced riders who may not have the skill level you do ( or in some cases think you do , but don't ).
Keeping the group together is part of your role as ride leader.... the old Marines saying "we never leave a man behind" is how I feel you should be thinking as a group ride leader.
Another personal note here..if I'm on a group ride and the leader decides to try to break the land speed record ...I don't and wont go with them as I value my license and more importantly my life . It would probably also put me off wanting to participate in any future rides that person led.
I could also talk about the bad habits I've seen in groups by "corner marking addicts", the "I'm Valentino Rossi" brigade and "I'm a stuntman" people ..but I think that might be another thread in itself..
As always , feel free to discuss and agree or disagree with my opinions ..thats all they are ..opinions.
Cheers
Trog