Went wide in decreasing radius turn - group ride

[Wizzard]

[quote="scanevalexec" but I bet my "chicken strips" will always be fatter than that crowd.[/quote]
Mine too brother...........
Regards , Wizzard

[sapaul]

Thanks Scan, this is what this forum is really about, if we can learn from your experiance that surely is a plus. Do not give up on the group rides though. I often lead or am tail end charlie for group rides and often have groups of over 50. We beak them down into 4 groups. "own ride". We give these guys the route and the venue and off they go. These are usually the fast experianced guys. We then have a brisk group consisting of experianced to intermediate riders, we have a leader and TEC for this group normally running at a max speed of 140 KMs. We also in this group put the less experianced riders close to the front. We find that as the group stretches out, we ride line astern, the tail end guy can do 160-170.
The next group has a max speed of 110-120, same rules. The last group consists of the guys that just want the comradeship of the group and are happy to just make thier way to the venue in their own time. I have ridden with this type of group for over 4 years now and have only seen two incidents, both luckily not serious. So again thank you for your comments, the smart ones amongst us will take note and remember when next we have a similar situation.

[sv-wolf]

Great post Scan. Like Sev, when I read the title, I thought it was you who had slid off the road. Very glad to hear it wasn't.

These are big issues for anyone who rides in a group and not ones that are talked about openly very often, so it's good to find them discussed here so clearly and thoughtfully.

What you wrote was very useful for me personally. I need to hear this stuff from time to time. I ride regularly with a pretty anarchic group: no fixed riding order or formation, no rules - everyone does their own thing. There's just a vague, general idea about staying together - which sometimes happens and sometimes doesn't. They are a very mixed bunch: some newbies at one end and a couple of ex-professional racers at the other. (I find it interesting that the ex-racers are fast but don't take the chances that some other guys take and they are more concerned about the group as a whole, especially the less able riders). The group is kept together by strong social bonds rather than skill levels and the mix makes it a difficult group to ride in.

I always set out intending to ride my own ride when I go out with them but, especially if it I start to get tired, a group mentality takes over. I see it in some of the others as well as myself. When I reach that point I'm no longer riding rationally and usually it's then that I stop enjoying myself as well. I tell myself that it's important always to ride consciously and with decision but I don't always manage to follow my own advice, and I've done some pretty stupid things while playing catch-up. I've got to admit that although, like you, most of the time I value staying alive, I sometimes get a wild urge just to let go and do something dangerous.

I've begun to realise that there is a difference between pushing the boundaries and just reacting to herd instinct. One is a focused activity based on a calcluated level of risk, the other is close to an anxiety reaction. When I'm focused I keep a clear mind and my senses are alert; I have a plan of action (with a plan B if things go wrong). When I'm trying to catch up with others I'm tense and reacting automatically and not very sensibly sometimes. When I'm anxious, my shoulders and arms go rigid and I have limited ability to manage the bars and the lean. Not good. I do that less now, but it's still sometimes around when riding in a group.

It sounds like the guy on your rideout made some assumptions about the bend and it tightened faster than he could handle. I guess, like you say, some people play the risks, and sometimes the odds are against them. I think we all do that sometimes. Bikes just encourage that stuff. I'm glad you only had to pick his bike up out of the mud!

[DivideOverflow]

I enjoy small group rides with friends. We have 2 cruisers and 2 sportbikes... so it is interesting. Us cruiser guys always take up the rear to make sure neither of them die, but they hang with us for the most part, until a fun curve or nice straightaway come up..then they will do their sportbike thing (licking the ground and such), but then they slow back down.

I haven't tried a large group ride, but I dont really care to. Too many other people to worry about. I'd be worried about hitting someone, someone hitting me, going to fast/slow, etc. Small groups of friends are where it's at.