Group Riding & Drop-Off Systems

[Rasher]

Off to France / Germany im a few weeks and would like to gather some wisdom on riding in groups.

I have done this in the UK on "Sunday Blasts" and the odd day trip, but not so much on tours with different paced riders.

I have seen info on the drop-off system but never used it, we will have 6 bikes with riders ranging from steady to former National champion, some of us have ridden abroad a lot, others it is the first time (first tour for one)

Two of us have good experience abroad and will have sat-nav, others may have sat-nav (but probably in tank bag with no sound)

I am wondering if it may be better to run as two groups of three when on the twisty bits with pre-arranged stops, or to use a drop-off.

The only thing with the drop-off system is the way it rotates middle riders, I am not sure this will work with less experienced so was thinking of keeping lead rider and sweeper in same place and maybe having a third (next most experienced) chap always marking the junction and then moving back to second position.

I have had problems in the past when quicker riders have "pulled the pin" on a good section of road and then gone straight by the next turn off - resulting in waiting half an hour for them to realise no-one is following and turn around and come back.

All ideas welcome

 

[Old Codger]

Drop Off

Works a treat if you wish to keep everyone together and everyone wishes to stay together ,not hare off selfishly into the distance

The ride will be dictated by the speed of the slowest rider So know your friends abilities and chose accordingly

It takes discipline and practice for guys to stick with the system and wait for the last man Tail end charlie It can easily fall apart

It can be helped along by having the same lead rider who knows where he is going and a permanent tail end charlie sweeper If the two have coms even better

If everyone keeps the man behind in mirror view even better (as if )

If everyone knows the route and the days destination

Phone contact details shared helps

It wont work for every group

Might be easier to share the days objectives and all travel at their own speeds

My personal preference is small groups of similar abilities If I have to ride in a group Very easy for some to come to grief riding beyond their abilities just trying to keep up

These days i prefer riding with just one or two friends max

Solo even better then you can stop and sightsee whenever you like

 

[wessie]

My preference is that each rider is responsible for their own ride and should be ultimately capable of finding their own way to prearranged hotels or assembly points by having appropriate maps etc.

Riding together in small groups can be fun in certain circumstances but we all have different requirements as far as taking photos, bladder retention, length of lunch stops, seat comfort etc etc.

When in a group I sometimes start the day riding with others but I've often ended the day riding solo. Either the other riders are on ZX10Rs or similar and have disappeared into the distance (only to be seen later talking to nice men in uniforms), want to stop for a 2 hour lunch break or stop every 3 miles to take another photo. More often than not, I'm the first to get to the next hotel and have had a couple of preprandial beers by the time they rock up at 6pm or later.

 

[David Nimrod]

I can't think of anything worse than riding in a group, but each to their own!

Why not just meet up at the end of the day, possibly for lunch as an option..?

That way everyone can 'do their own thing' - surely what touring on a bike is all about

 

[Buz]

Wapping does various French rides in the year, some with totally novice riders (riding abroad) some with experienced ones and some with a mixture. I'm sure he will also have some useful tips for this type of question

 

[E. Buygum]

Mix it up a bit. If the route is pretty clear then just agree petrol/ coffee/ lunch/ overnight stops and do your own thing. With phones, it's dead easy these days. If, for whatever reason, you want to stick together as a group, accept it'll probably be slower progress.

Personally, I find the drop off system over complicated. We tend to keep the same order on the road for a riding session so you know who you are following and each person is responsible for ensuring the person behind doesn't get lost...i.e. not "breaking the chain". Just common sense...no rigid rules. If you are heading for Prague and there's a 20foot sign at a junction saying "Prague", I wouldn't wait for the person behind to catch up. A restrained faster rider at the back with Sat Nav makes an ideal sweeper.

I like riding solo, I like riding in groups but it helps if you know the other riders so if "X" drops out of the chain, you might know he's taking photographs but will catch up no problem...however if "Y" goes missing, he'll probably be in the wrong country unless tracked down within minutes 'cos he's a fecking idiot.

 

[Fanum]

Drop off systems don't have to be so formal.....there is room to be as flexible as you (and the other riders) want, which may in fact suit both the faster riders abd the less confident.

When I do fords runs, we have had some VERY big groups, none of whom have probably ridden together much, and containing faster people and some who haven't been riding long at all.


Because we're covering lots of small roads and going to isolated places that a lot of the people wouldn't have a chance of finding, I have to use the drop off system

What I do though is tell them that if they aren't confident playing catch-up, or parking at junctions safely to indicate the route to the others, they should simply make sure they don't become no.2 in the line.

That way, you get the slower or less confident riders somewhere around the front half of the group but not liable for drop off duty, and they just wave the next guy past to position 2, which can suit guys who like to whizz up and down a bit as well.

FWIW though, on a longer trip or tour with specific hotel destinations as the target, I'd prefer not to use drop off .

after a day or two on a tour, you'll usually find that the group sorts itself out pretty naturally anyway

 

[Taff]

Whatever you do, make sure everyone in the group has the address and telephone number of where you're staying and a telephone number for some others in the group.

When we went on one of our first trips abroad, sure enough the group got split at the very first set of lights (we'd literally gone just 300m) .... and you guessed it, nobody in the group left behind knew where the hell we were staying. Add to this that it was a Sunday, they were low on fuel and years ago French petrol station didn't like some British credit cards.

 

[Mutley]

Team up with one good mate a feck off quick. Darwinism will sort the others

 

[Wapping]

If you have a mixed group, the drop-off system works really well. Why?

1. It allows the fastest and the slowest riders to ride at their own pace, safe in the knowledge that they will not get left behind or get lost. A hapoy rider, is a safer rider.

2. It is the only truly reliable way of the leader discovering that something has gone amiss behind. He will simply run out of markers, can then pause for the group to regather or retrace his steps.

3. If you have a significant deviation from a pre-planned route, it saves everyone guessing where the others went.

4. It is social. Yours is a social jaunt is it not? So make it social.

5. Overtaking within the group is fine, just be careful and realise that not everyone is a riding god. Naturaly, the more times a bod overtakes, the more often they will arrive at the front, to be dropped again. If a bod overtakes the leader, well I guess they had better know where they are going.

6. On the Wanders I drop markers more often than I would do when riding with chums. The reason? Simply to keep the group turning over regularly. With mates, we know we can all crack on and watch out for each other, so often we do not need to use markers at all if there are say six of us. That being said, in some towns we may just drop a marker or two (even if we have not arranged to) if a junction is unclear. In short, we use a bit of common sense.

Other than that, it's a good idea if everyone has a firm idea of where the evening's hotel is at least, so when they are totally lost they should be able to rescue themselves. A map is handy, too.

Anything else? No, just keep it simple........

 

[Steptoe]

Leave the bikes and hire a minibus.

 

[twizzle]

Say see you at the St Marie......19:30 mines a 1664........

 

[cookie]

Team up with one good mate a feck off quick. Darwinism will sort the others

there you go

 

[Giles]

I say split into two groups of three. Each group will enjoy it more, one per group with a sat nav, keep in touch with texts for 'we're here for lunch ' etc ..

 

[Bounce]

Team up with one good mate a feck off quick. Darwinism will sort the others

Make sure you have a good mate first.....

 

[Rasher]

Thanks everyone, some good stuff there.

Only a five day trip and the only concern is a couple of circular routes where we will be swapping roads a lot.

I think I can use a combination of suggestions here, and if it is getting too messy will break the group up, luckily first day and a half is easy so by the time were on the potentially problematic stuff I will have a good idea of what I am up against.

 

[Oliwoof]

I agree with Giles, split the group into two so the fast boys can do their stuff and not get frustrated as long as the person leading is of a reasonable pace!
Then you could take turns in leading both the groups to keep it fair. Dead easy to keep an eye on the other riders when there are only two behind. Stop at a prearranged refreshment establishment mid-day to swap tales of the previous 3 hours and repeat

http://pyreneesmotorcycletours.com

ride the best roads

 

[Rasher]

Everyone missed the obvious, wait until a couple of weeks before the set-off date and they will all start dropping out 6 now down to 5, could easily be down to 3 or 4 by setoff time.

I was canny enough to book 3 twin rooms so always had capacity for 3-6 and everyone agreed singles prices were acceptable but did not mind going solo if need be.

Even with 5 I still think a system will help, also going to mark up long stretches of great road (like a 25 mile stretch of B500, and some passes in the Vosges) on the Sat-Nav so I can let everyone off their leash with instructions to set their trips and pull over xx miles up the road.