- 1. Arrive at a group ride ready to ride. This
means with a full tank of gas, appropriate clothing for the weather,
well-rested and fed, and a bike in safe operating condition. Riding is
no fun if you are too hot or too cold, and your friends would rather
ride than wrench on your bike or get gas for you.
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- 2. Make sure everyone is
aware of the proposed route and extended stops (such as lunch, fuel, and
sightseeing stops). It is always a good idea
to prepare a map of the route with these stops indicated.
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- 3. The ride is self-paced,
ride at a speed you feel comfortable with. No one should feel pressure
to keep up with anyone else. In particular, no one will object to you
riding as slowly as you wish. It is natural for people to feel they
need to keep up with the rider ahead, however, riding outside their
limits is the main reason riders get hurt! It is not the point of this
ride to have someone get hurt.
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- 4. Ride in a staggered
formation, with a minimum of two seconds between you and the rider
directly in front of you. This allows you to use the entire lane to
ride in and gives you an extra margin of safety.
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- 5. Ride your ride, not the
rider's in front of you. Make sure you keep looking down the road and
through the corners, not at the bike ahead of you. Set your own pace
and choose your own lines through the corners.
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- 6. A group of motorcycles is
not considered a "single vehicle!". Be courteous and allow cars to
enter/exit a highway or change lanes. Make sure you let the riders
behind you know what is going on (this also applies to
other hazards, as well).
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- 7. At least one of the riders
ahead of you (if any) will wait at every point
where you might make a wrong turn.
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- 8. Similarly, you are
expected to wait at intersections and other decision points until the
person behind you (if any) shows up.
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- 9. Plan brief stops
throughout the ride to let everyone regroup, make sure everyone is
present, check gas supplies, and to allow for rests.
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- 10. If you decide to split off
from the ride, make a reasonable attempt to alert the entire group to
your departure; if regrouping does not happen soon enough for you, you must let at least one other
person know you are leaving.
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