Future Ride-Outs !

[Gerry]

I’m sure this has been talked over before, but fun though yesterdays ride-out was (thank you Rosie) it did throw up some difficulties.

There are a couple of issues that might easily be rectified, the main thing is that it’s great that the club has so many people who want to get together at the weekends, go for a ride and have an eat / drink and a natter together.

The difficulties are made worse by bigger numbers on ride-outs, which leads to both a wider range of experience, bikes and needs. I say needs, as some like to have a nice ride through the countryside and take in the lovely surroundings and some want to hoon around and look at the tarmac in front of them. Each to their own, I love being in open countryside and can walk for hours, on a bike, I like a little hoon

It would be easy to say, OK, lets have two different ride-outs, but that would deprive me of the company I like when we stop at the other end. You are a great bunch and I love to have a natter to you all, not just fellow hooners !

As has been said before, I think we should give splitting the ride-outs at the meeting place with the faster riders going on first and all meeting at the other end. On longer meets, we could arrange a meeting point half way or so.

This would make both parts of the ride more enjoyable for everybody, as the newer members won’t be put off by quick overtakes etc and the faster group can keep to the bigger, faster roads and avoid wrist ache etc.

On the second point that yesterday threw up, I would suggest, again on bigger ride outs, that a stopping point about twenty minutes from home be the “official” end to the meet.
With bigger numbers you are bound to get many people wanting to leave the group and head home or elsewhere and it must be hell for the back marker to keep an eye on everybody - even if people tell him (which they don’t always).

If the last stop was say at Shaftesbury yesterday, then those who wanted to go back into town together could, and those who didn’t could turn off. Plus Graeme could relax and have a twenty minute blat at the front for a change.

Sorry for a long post, but I think it’s an important topic.

Over to you…

G

[NoYou]

Tis a good idea however a slight problem I can foresee is people who want to have a more focused ride or "hoon" as you put it , but aren't hugely fast/confident riders or have a bike that won't be able to do the speeds that the bigger bikes can (I.e me! :P) I don't want to go on a bimble through villages but imy bike doesn't have the pace to keep up if your blating around everywhere at 120.
Might not be a problem so long as people don't mind waiting an extra few mins marking the junctions etc. Just a thought!
Still gets a big :thumbsup: from me!

[Scotty]

Good points all round. Something that makes things difficult on a day like yesterday is simply the sheer number of bikes involved - do the Police need to be informed if a certain number of vehicles are proceeding together? I marked the first roundabout after the services and although we'd only been en route for a couple of minutes I must have been there for a full five minutes before Graeme finally came along - lord knows what it was like later on in the ride... :-?
As a possible alternative to Gerry's suggestion... if anticipated numbers are high, why not have several start points with a common destination? That way there's the social aspect at the end of the ride, but people from far and wide don't need to converge on a single departure point (normally in the Trowbridge area! :)

[NoYou]

Not sure that would be the same to be honest scotty, one of the things i love about riding with a larger group on organized rides is i don't have to worry about how I'm going to get where I'm going i can just enjoy the roads knowing there will be somebody waiting at the next turn off and i'll end up at a nice place at the end of it, by having people meeting in smaller groups and making their own way, it's no different to just meeting up with a few mates and going out for a blat, in fact it is probably worse because instead of just going round not really worrying about where your going so long as you can find your way back you would then have to try and find your way to another meeting point. The good thing about Trowbridge meeting is its a fairly central point for most people.
If the size of the group is getting to be a problem then a good solution may be to have a scenic group and a progressive group, or however you want to split it up, the scenic group could set out half hour earlier or so depending on how different in length the different routes would be etc. and then the progressive group could set off after, that way the groups are smaller so we don't disrupt the traffic too badly and the two groups will arrive at the final destination at more similar times.

[Dabz]

There's a simple answer which the faster riders won't like but has always been the view of the management...

Wb rides will be sensibly paced and designed for all riders of all abilities including those on small capacity bikes. Those with fast sports bikes who want to ride fast need to organise their own rides.

we simply can't be seen as a group to organise rides which set out to be fast, or have a fast group (whether you call it fast, progressive, fun, or whatever). We have too much to lose if we get a bad rep with the police

[Snowy]

OK, for what its worth. On Official monthly rideouts:

I think these must cater for all sizes of bike and all abilities. There are plenty of other rideout opportunities throughout the month for faster, or slower paced smaller rides.

If you sign up to go on the Official rideout you are doing so in the knowledge that on a big ride there will be some waiting involved marking junctions. This cannot be helped and will happen irrespective of the pace the lead bike takes.

The lead bike has to take a responsible view on pace setting according to their own comfort zone and the needs of all the riders involved. Officially the National Speed Limit should apply for the pace set not "efficiently progressive". I have led rides of both kinds and it makes surprisingly little difference to junction waiting times. Its the group size that makes the most difference together with prevailing road conditions.

I agree very much with Gerry in that the official rideout day is a social event as well as a rideout and I would like to at least keep to the same format in that we start together and finish together.

As lead bike, I would have no objection whatsoever if a group of more "efficiently progressive" riders decided to leave the starting point and head off on their own to the destination.
But, I would get seriously hacked off if they just took off and did so during a ride without informing the lead bike. That's just courtesy.

I like Gerry's idea of having an agreed and known about stop/rest/pee break for the way down and the way back. That way, should there be a seperate "unofficial" group that goes down first the option is there to meet up and natter. It does require more planning by the lead bike and not getting lost either as well as sticking to a schedule, but hey ho, you can't have everything.

We need to cater for new as well as experienced members to our rideouts and not pressurise anyone into riding outside of their comfort zone.

I think we could come up with some short common sense guidelines on marking and general rideout etiquette to supplement Hunars excellent war & peace intro to group riding. Just the basics - and this can be put at the start of each rideout thread. This way, the new riders can get an idea of the most important things they are expected to do which will make the lead and backmarkers jobs that much easier on the day and enforce the full set of rules.

Can I also add, that an official rideout was my first experience with WB all those years ago. I had never been on a group ride before and did not have a clue. Even as an experienced rider it was quite daunting and it took several attempts before I even marked a junction. If I take a look back and remember how I felt then, its useful to remember how the newer members feel today. Lets take that into account.

The group rides have also taught me a lot about riding with others and is a skill not to underestimate. Its also given me the opportunity to meet a whole new bunch of friends which is why the social side is important to retain. But the rides are getting bigger which bring a new set of issues. I don't know the legal side with large groups and as one who often wears the Hi Viz on a group ride, I am a little concerned over my liabilities - if there are any, over what happens on a rideout. But I don't want to do the slow, side by side, in a line some other groups prefer thats for sure.

[wiggy]

I go at my own pace, and not going to even try to keep up with the fast bikes,thats if i get to go out at all as i work weekends and you leave before i finish.

[redken1]

I know I have not attended many rides of late but, James is right. I think it would be very unwise for WB to organise an official ride split into two groups with any hint or suggestion that the second group was in place to accommodate those who wished to ride at a faster pace.

I don't wish to sound like a party pooper but, the implications are obvious. When I like to get a bit of pace on (safely and within the legal limits of course) I ride alone or on unofficial rides.

[wiltshire builders]

I like the current set up. I don't like going flat out for long periods so it is nice to have a couple of minutes to stretch while marking a junction.
I do object to the people who've complained before about 'dangerous riding'
If you get startled by someone passing you, some of the blame lies with you. When riding in a group you should always beaware of the other bikes around you. Obviously if someone 'buzzes' you then they're an idiot but I don't think we've got many of them on ride outs.
Perhaps a limit should be set and participation is on a first come first served basis. If your name isn't down, you're not coming so to speak and you can arange your own ride with other members.

[Snowy]

I know I have not attended many rides of late but, James is right. I think it would be very unwise for WB to organise an official ride split into two groups with any hint or suggestion that the second group was in place to accommodate those who wished to ride at a faster pace.

I don't wish to sound like a party pooper but, the implications are obvious. When I like to get a bit of pace on (safely and within the legal limits of course) I ride alone or on unofficial rides.

I would agree with that Ken, the official ride stays as is. But there would be nothing wrong in my view if a few decided the ride was too big in numbers for them and disappear off on their own, but they could end up at the same destination for a social bimble or a halfway point. This can be done now anyway - just not quite so "upfront".

I don't agree with limiting numbers, but I think Rosie and I were a little daunted with the ride's size yesterday and a few heading off seperately would have helped in some ways. Its not so much the difficulty of managing a large group - but we all want everyone to enjoy the day out and with so many sets of expectations this can prove difficult.

As the "Official Rideout" then common sense has to prevail and doing it "within the rules" so to speak is a necessity. I think this should be accepted if the ride has a HiViz at the front and at the back. Outside of that its not official and is a bunch of mates that happen to be going to the same place. I personally think thats a good compromise.