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.
