typical group rides
Arrive with a full tank of gas and your bike properly maintained.
If a rider will be pulling out of the group, let the Road Captain know prior to the departure, usually at a prior stop.
Attend the pre-ride meeting where the Safety Officer and/or Lead Road Captain reviews the Rules of the Ride and hand signals most commonly used.
Lead Road Captain announces the destination
Describes the route which follows a pre-planned route
Identifies other Road Captains
Answers any ride related questions.
Prior to departure and during road stops, the bikes should be side by side and resume with the staggered formation while in motion.
A group ride should appear to be one large body of bikes, held together by an invisible ‘spine’ that holds each bike, an even safe distance apart. Safety is our overriding priority! Bikes should be spaced close enough to discourage vehicles from entering the group, yet allow enough room to stop in an emergency. Under normal conditions, bikes should be spaced approximately 1 to 1.5 seconds apart, per 10 mph increments.
To calculate distance focus on a road feature (tar strip, crack, lane marker, etc.) and measure the time from when the bike ahead passes the feature and when you pass the feature. By saying, one thousand one = 1 second and saying one thousand one, one thousand two = 2 seconds and so on. As the group ‘flows’ through traffic and corners, the ‘spine’ will flex to the left or right, but continue to hold the bikes together and follow in the tracks of the bike in front of it.
The Tail Gunner distance is at his discretion.
The Other vehicle distance is at their discretion.
The riders in the staggered columns should refrain from having their front-wheel axle pass the back-wheel axle of the rider in the other column, unless safety maneuvers are necessary and / or column adjustment is needed due to blocking activity.
The Lead Road Captain is the authority of the ride, no matter if President(s) of a Club is present.
Blockers, also known as Sweeps or Kick-Outs, are appointed riders by the Road Captain that will have special roles. They will change locations throughout the ride to assist with keeping the group together. Their role is to block vehicles not in the group to provide safe passage to other lanes, through intersections and other places to ensure safe passage for all the riders. Do NOT follow them when they are performing their roles. The speed of the ride allows riders to keep pace in a steady and staggered formation.
The Tail Gunner should ride in the middle of the lane for maximum visibility of the group ahead.
Experienced Riders are to ride towards the front of the motorcade while novice riders are towards the back. Furthermore, it is recommended for those in Clubs should ride together with their Club members as they will be more accustomed to the riding behavior of their group.
All non-two-wheel vehicles shall be positioned behind the Tail Gunner as the size of their vehicles reduces the riding column real estate for two-wheelers. However, they can play an integral part of the motorcade and serve as a blocker for the tail gunner. The vehicle positioning after the Tail Gunner should be three-wheelers, quads, then cages.
