Tips for Group Riding

I rode with three other guys yesterday to Surf City, NC. It was about 300 miles round trip. I led the group to a Harley-Davidson dealership on Market Street in Wilmington. After that, two of the other riders took turns leading. When we got back, one of the other riders began indulging in the post ride ritual of bitching about how the other guys were riding. I joked with his wife that when you lead a ride, at least one person in the group will be unhappy with something you are doing at any given moment. If you rotate the leadership role, more people get to enjoy the abuse. The key is be safe. If everyone arrives back home uninjured, then as a ride leader you can claim some success, the bitching notwithstanding. :-) My experience yesterday reminded me that group rides are far more enjoyable when everyone follows the basic guidelines for group rides.

The Motorcycle Safety Foundation offers a convenient guide for group riding, MSF Group Riding Quick Tips. In addition to the information they provide in this handy little document, I have a few more tidbits for you.

Ideal Group Size

I've lead a group of 15 and can tell you it's too large by twice. If you don't have a lot of support in leading and managing the ride, break up into units of 5-7 bikes and assign each a leader. Make sure each leader then designates who will ride at the end of that sub-group. There are many benefits from breaking into units of 5-7. Here are three:

(1) The ride leader attempts to look in his or her rear view mirror every few minutes and account for all of the bikes in the group. It's very difficult to see beyond seven motorcycles. Keeping to no more than seven in the group facilitates this ongoing census. By the way, this is one reason why riding in staggered formation is so important: so the ride leader can see who is in the group. Yesterday, I often had difficulty seeing the last bike in the group because the rider frequently rode directly behind the bike in front of him, a large full-dresser. It was like a full eclipse of a Harley.

(2) If you encounter stop lights or stop signs, it is easier to keep a smaller group intact. Even if you split the smaller group temporarily, it is far easier to reassemble a group of five bikes than it is for 15.

(3) Large groups prevent other vehicles from merging into the lane. For large groups, you typically end up having cages (four wheeled vehicles) merging into your group, splitting it. Using smaller groups minimizes this. 

Use Breadcrumbs

Introducing your group to the concept of breadcrumbs before a ride is a useful safety tip. The idea of a breadcrumb is this: if a group becomes split, the last rider in the front group will pull over at the next turn and wait for the trailing group to catch up. This way, the lead bike of the group that has fallen behind will not panic at the idea of getting lost of left behind and do something dangerous to keep up or catch up. This last-bike-pulls-over-at-the-next-turn repeats as long as necessary until the group reassembles. These bikes are referred to as breadcrumbs. Of course, this approach requires that all riders (except the last, of course) pay attention to what is happening behind them. If you are the ride leader, be aware that inexperienced riders will likely not look behind them very often and will need encouragement to accept this new responsibility.

Assign a "Sweep" or "Tail Gunner"

The ride leader should assign an experienced rider to ride in the last position. The last position in a group is called the "Sweep" or "Tail Gunner." This rider should know that he or she is responsible for stopping with any rider that encounters a problem. The sweep must know the route and should have a Citizens Band (CB) radio or cell phone for communicating with the ride leader. The sweep will stay with the stranded rider until the problem is resolved or the rider agrees that the sweep's assistance is no longer required. All riders in your group should feel secure in knowing that they will not be left behind if they have a mechanical problem, become ill, or are involved in an accident.

You may encounter one or more riders who insist on riding last but not accept the responsibility of being the sweep. In that case, inform them clearly that there will be a sweep rider ahead of them and that neither the sweep nor you (the ride leader) will be responsible for keeping track of them.

Positioning Inexperienced Riders

During your pre-ride briefing in which you go over the route, hand signals, and safety issues, poll the group to see if there are any new riders. If practical, assign them each an experienced rider to serve as a buddy and position them at the end of the group, just ahead of the sweep. Where to place inexperienced riders is a matter of controversy in the biker community. I side with the "put-them-in-the-back" group because safety is my number one concern. Placing inexperienced riders near the end of the group minimizes the damage they can do to the other riders should they do something dangerous, such as slam on their brakes at a yellow traffic light. (I've seen that one happen. It almost led to a fight.) The key here is to assign an experienced sweep who is capable of riding with new riders (anticipating the unexpected) and willing to give them feedback after the ride.

Post Ride Assessment

At the end of a group ride, ask the sweep and other riders how they felt the ride went. Ask for an honest assessment regarding safety and quality of the route. The sweep often has the best view of what transpired so he or she is often in the best position to assess the riders. Never criticize riders in public; speak with them privately when offering a post ride assessment or advice. Be sure to discuss what went well even before you discuss what could have been done better.

Keep the shiny side up!

-The Long Rider