Safety First Whilst Riding In Numbers
Safety must be the bikers first priority, so with this in mind, here are just a few ideas.
Ride Order.
Every ride should have a RIDE LEADER and he / she, should know the route that is intended and know the route thoroughly and can lead the ride (No one should overtake the ride leader)
Back Marker, He / She, should have the same knowledge as the Lead Rider and will stay at the back to assist anyone who may have problems and to prevent riders from getting lost.
Corner Marshalls come into there own when traffic is busy and should wait at the exit from roundabouts or after traffic lights to be able guide the ride in the right direction and to look after maybe the slower riders in the group :ie, those with "L" plates (We all have to learn sometime)
It can be benificial and is recommended for the Lead and Back Rider to have contact with each other, either by PMR radio's or at least mobile phone.
While most of us know that it takes about one second to recognize and begin to react to a threat ahead of us, it usually takes from one to two seconds for riders to recognize and begin to react to a change of speed (increase) of the bike in front of them when they are riding in a group.
A couple of seconds doesn't sound much but while at two seconds a small group of bikes can usually manage quite well, at THREE seconds some problems can occour, this is particularly true if there are more than five or six bikes in a group.
The following may convince a lead rider to behave with more thought !
At 60 MPH your bike moves at 88 feet per second, assuming that you maintain a one second gap between bikes in the group then each bike is about 88 feet behind the next one, at 70 MPH the gaps would be about 103 feet !!
So maybe these thoughts will help.
HAVE FUN BUT PLEASE RIDE SAFELY !
Try this link to show your motorist friends the dangers we bikers face !!!!
