CC Cowboy
July 19th, 2009, 08:02 AM
I went for a group ride Saturday with a bunch of guys, and one girl (passenger, but fun to ride behind), from the Daytona Sportbiker's Group (sorry no 250s). It was initially supposed to be my neighbor, my son, and me but my neighbor is really into this Daytona group ( and I have hung out with some of these guys too) and he thought I should post on their forum ( I am a member too) and see if anyone else wanted to ride. I have a great loop around the county and hate to share my bike routes (or anything else) because, well, that's the way I am.
We met up at Cycle Gear at 9am. There were 8 riders waiting for my neighbor and me (my son couldn't make it due to shoulder sugery). There was one guy that had posted a few posts on the forum that he could lead, he wanted to lead, and would it be OK if he led. Included in one post was the fact that he was the guy that almost crashed on the prior weeks ride.
I met everyone and had my routed written down so anyone who wanted to look at it could see where abouts we were headed. The one guy, we will call him Jersey (that kinda says it all if you're from the north east), besides that's his user name on Daytona Sport Bikers, looked over the route and said he knew about half the roads so I could lead.
I go over the basics of riding in everyone's mirrors, if we are going to fast just ride your own pace and we will wait, and no crashing. Then we took off and rode for a few hours with no problems (other than a dog chasing the last 5 guys, a huge snapping turtle in the road, and a nice collection of sand in a corner on a hilly road, which I had told everyone about before hand).
Jersey wanted to lead after we got close to the end of my back roads and he had actually proved that he took group riding like it was a race (did I mention he was the one with the girl passenger, and they were the only ones with no jackets) so I said he could lead after he told me his roads (which included doing a cloverleaf twice, a nice curvey road where a member of this group had a bad crash two weeks ago, and a few roads about 10 miles to the north).
Jersey took off at a blistering pace back down the road we had just rode. I was second and everyone else behind me. Although he was cranking the throttle I failed to take the bait and continued to ride the pace I had set during the entire ride up till then. When we got to the first stop sign (about 4 miles away) I told him that half the riders can't keep up and maybe he should slow the pace. I was surprised he actually slowed a bit. We got caught up in traffic and Jersey got antcy. He forgot there were 10 of us and tried to pass a pickup and a passenger car on a double solid line (no passing zone). Well the passesnger car was making a left turn (turn signal and right of way). Jersey clocked up the brakes and tucked back in line in front of the pickup. You can imagine what that driver thought. We got to the next traffic light (two lanes turn right) and Jersey couldn't decide which lane he wanted. We all ended up in the far right lane and Jersey, not phased by anything yet, kept telling us to take 95 and do the Beville Rd cloverleaf twice ( I think he wanted to be able to catch up to the slower guys and pass them in the turns).
The group takes the right, goes under the 95 bridge, and gets in the left lane to get on 95. The lights goes yellow and Jersey blows through the light forgeting about the 9 other bikes. We all sat there and said "Thank God". Jersey was off to the races, on his own.
We all got on 95 when the light went green and each went their own way home. My neighbor and I stopping at the Wing House to see if the girls there where still goreous, I mean to see if the beer was still cold.
Well, the moral of this story is there are rules to group rides (if you want everyone to be safe and enjoy the ride). I have posted this before on an inferior 250 site and I must add that I got these from Florida Sport Bikers Forum.
Group riding rules.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. When you change lanes, go to the far side of the lane so someone else can also change lanes. Example: If you are on the left side of the right lane, when you move to the left lane, go all the way over to the left side of the lane.
2. When coming to a turn on a regular road, (for a twistie road see rule 5) drop into a single file line. You should communicate either before the ride or during the ride with the bike beside you about who is going to go first and who will drop in behind.
3. Learn the hand signals. The basic ones that we use are:
A. Hand tapping top of helmet: There's a cop.
B. Pointing frantically to the ground with hand or foot: There's something in the road on that side.
C. Left arm extended and bent 90 degrees with closed fist: We are about to make a final turn in and stop
D. Left Arm extended and bent 90 degrees with open hand: Right turn.
E. Left arm straight out: Left turn
F. Left arm extended out and slightly waving up and down with open hand: slow down or possible stop.
G. Someone flashing all five fingers of one hand at you: you forgot to turn off your blinker.
H. One leg extended to side of bike: That person is about to change lanes in that direction. (I personally prefer and use blinkers, but you need to know this one.)
I. Pointing to the gas tank: I need gas.
J. Pointing to your stomach: I need food.
4. It is not uncool to use your blinkers to change lane.
5. When you're on a twistie rode with a group, ride in a single file line and DO NOT ride above you're skill level! We always wait at the end of the rode for everyone and usually do a head count to make sure no one went down. Take it easy, we will wait for you.
6. Don't go flying by someone at high speed in the same lane as they are in unless you know them and they have told you that it is ok. Please go by in a different lane.
7. If you want to stunt, go out front and every one try to pick one or two lanes to stunt in. Most experienced stunters do this, this is for the inexperienced. It is much better to get in front before you do a wheelie, etc. Riding up through a pack on your rear wheel is not the safest thing in the world.
8. When you first ride with a large group or an unfamiliar group, I suggest you stay in back and on whatever side that has an escape route. You need to be thinking what will I do if someone in front of me goes down. It does happen!
9. When the group puts the hammer down and it comes time for you to decelerate, if you don't brake and just let off the throttle, make sure that you tap your brake a couple of times so that the bikes behind you will know your slowing down.
10. Wear protective gear. At the least you should have a jacket, helmet, gloves, and ankle boots.
11. Make sure your bike is registered and you have a valid license, etc..
12. Be gassed up when we meet.
13. Emergency cards with all of your information and Emergency Contact info.
14. Occasionally when turning a bike might pull out to turn but in intersection... he is stopping to create a barrier so cars know to stop and allow the group to turn into the road.. be aware for this.....He will then rejoin as the last bike.
15. If you peel off during a group ride let someone know. we'll be looking for you..it's a real drag.
16. When following do not focus on person in front of you keep them in peripheral vision and focus ahead. (IE. Don't Target Fixate!)
If there is an accident..
A) Don't' move the rider unless he cannot breath/impeded helmet in water puddle. mud etc.. (helmet came off something in his mouth)..then keep the neck straight as possible..
B) Know CPR.
C) do not pull out anything impaled braches etc... leave them in as pulling them out you may allow more bleeding
D) know how to use a tourniquet.
E) Call an ambulance be on safe side.
F) Search for emergency card inside jacket inside or under seat.
G) Turn off bike. shut off lanes of traffic place bike in lanes etc if necessary....
H) Find out where they are taking rider.
I) When cops show up.. Have a plan on what your going to tell them, as a group. Everyone has to agree on what your going to say. That's all I'm gonna say about this.
J) Don't' take off helmet!! Make sure it goes with them to hospital for docs.
Keep talking to them if concussed etc.. don't' let them get up etc..
K) Use your head.
__________________
We met up at Cycle Gear at 9am. There were 8 riders waiting for my neighbor and me (my son couldn't make it due to shoulder sugery). There was one guy that had posted a few posts on the forum that he could lead, he wanted to lead, and would it be OK if he led. Included in one post was the fact that he was the guy that almost crashed on the prior weeks ride.
I met everyone and had my routed written down so anyone who wanted to look at it could see where abouts we were headed. The one guy, we will call him Jersey (that kinda says it all if you're from the north east), besides that's his user name on Daytona Sport Bikers, looked over the route and said he knew about half the roads so I could lead.
I go over the basics of riding in everyone's mirrors, if we are going to fast just ride your own pace and we will wait, and no crashing. Then we took off and rode for a few hours with no problems (other than a dog chasing the last 5 guys, a huge snapping turtle in the road, and a nice collection of sand in a corner on a hilly road, which I had told everyone about before hand).
Jersey wanted to lead after we got close to the end of my back roads and he had actually proved that he took group riding like it was a race (did I mention he was the one with the girl passenger, and they were the only ones with no jackets) so I said he could lead after he told me his roads (which included doing a cloverleaf twice, a nice curvey road where a member of this group had a bad crash two weeks ago, and a few roads about 10 miles to the north).
Jersey took off at a blistering pace back down the road we had just rode. I was second and everyone else behind me. Although he was cranking the throttle I failed to take the bait and continued to ride the pace I had set during the entire ride up till then. When we got to the first stop sign (about 4 miles away) I told him that half the riders can't keep up and maybe he should slow the pace. I was surprised he actually slowed a bit. We got caught up in traffic and Jersey got antcy. He forgot there were 10 of us and tried to pass a pickup and a passenger car on a double solid line (no passing zone). Well the passesnger car was making a left turn (turn signal and right of way). Jersey clocked up the brakes and tucked back in line in front of the pickup. You can imagine what that driver thought. We got to the next traffic light (two lanes turn right) and Jersey couldn't decide which lane he wanted. We all ended up in the far right lane and Jersey, not phased by anything yet, kept telling us to take 95 and do the Beville Rd cloverleaf twice ( I think he wanted to be able to catch up to the slower guys and pass them in the turns).
The group takes the right, goes under the 95 bridge, and gets in the left lane to get on 95. The lights goes yellow and Jersey blows through the light forgeting about the 9 other bikes. We all sat there and said "Thank God". Jersey was off to the races, on his own.
We all got on 95 when the light went green and each went their own way home. My neighbor and I stopping at the Wing House to see if the girls there where still goreous, I mean to see if the beer was still cold.
Well, the moral of this story is there are rules to group rides (if you want everyone to be safe and enjoy the ride). I have posted this before on an inferior 250 site and I must add that I got these from Florida Sport Bikers Forum.
Group riding rules.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. When you change lanes, go to the far side of the lane so someone else can also change lanes. Example: If you are on the left side of the right lane, when you move to the left lane, go all the way over to the left side of the lane.
2. When coming to a turn on a regular road, (for a twistie road see rule 5) drop into a single file line. You should communicate either before the ride or during the ride with the bike beside you about who is going to go first and who will drop in behind.
3. Learn the hand signals. The basic ones that we use are:
A. Hand tapping top of helmet: There's a cop.
B. Pointing frantically to the ground with hand or foot: There's something in the road on that side.
C. Left arm extended and bent 90 degrees with closed fist: We are about to make a final turn in and stop
D. Left Arm extended and bent 90 degrees with open hand: Right turn.
E. Left arm straight out: Left turn
F. Left arm extended out and slightly waving up and down with open hand: slow down or possible stop.
G. Someone flashing all five fingers of one hand at you: you forgot to turn off your blinker.
H. One leg extended to side of bike: That person is about to change lanes in that direction. (I personally prefer and use blinkers, but you need to know this one.)
I. Pointing to the gas tank: I need gas.
J. Pointing to your stomach: I need food.
4. It is not uncool to use your blinkers to change lane.
5. When you're on a twistie rode with a group, ride in a single file line and DO NOT ride above you're skill level! We always wait at the end of the rode for everyone and usually do a head count to make sure no one went down. Take it easy, we will wait for you.
6. Don't go flying by someone at high speed in the same lane as they are in unless you know them and they have told you that it is ok. Please go by in a different lane.
7. If you want to stunt, go out front and every one try to pick one or two lanes to stunt in. Most experienced stunters do this, this is for the inexperienced. It is much better to get in front before you do a wheelie, etc. Riding up through a pack on your rear wheel is not the safest thing in the world.
8. When you first ride with a large group or an unfamiliar group, I suggest you stay in back and on whatever side that has an escape route. You need to be thinking what will I do if someone in front of me goes down. It does happen!
9. When the group puts the hammer down and it comes time for you to decelerate, if you don't brake and just let off the throttle, make sure that you tap your brake a couple of times so that the bikes behind you will know your slowing down.
10. Wear protective gear. At the least you should have a jacket, helmet, gloves, and ankle boots.
11. Make sure your bike is registered and you have a valid license, etc..
12. Be gassed up when we meet.
13. Emergency cards with all of your information and Emergency Contact info.
14. Occasionally when turning a bike might pull out to turn but in intersection... he is stopping to create a barrier so cars know to stop and allow the group to turn into the road.. be aware for this.....He will then rejoin as the last bike.
15. If you peel off during a group ride let someone know. we'll be looking for you..it's a real drag.
16. When following do not focus on person in front of you keep them in peripheral vision and focus ahead. (IE. Don't Target Fixate!)
If there is an accident..
A) Don't' move the rider unless he cannot breath/impeded helmet in water puddle. mud etc.. (helmet came off something in his mouth)..then keep the neck straight as possible..
B) Know CPR.
C) do not pull out anything impaled braches etc... leave them in as pulling them out you may allow more bleeding
D) know how to use a tourniquet.
E) Call an ambulance be on safe side.
F) Search for emergency card inside jacket inside or under seat.
G) Turn off bike. shut off lanes of traffic place bike in lanes etc if necessary....
H) Find out where they are taking rider.
I) When cops show up.. Have a plan on what your going to tell them, as a group. Everyone has to agree on what your going to say. That's all I'm gonna say about this.
J) Don't' take off helmet!! Make sure it goes with them to hospital for docs.
Keep talking to them if concussed etc.. don't' let them get up etc..
K) Use your head.
__________________