Article 6

Article (6) Group Riding-Everyone Has A Job

by Rod Jones

The only thing better than riding the scenic roads of Central Florida on our bike is doing it with our friends. That means Group Riding. Most of us have a pretty good idea of what group riding is all about, but it never hurts to have a little refresher. Sometimes we even find that some of our perceptions about how to ride as a group weren’t quite right. So let’s look at everyone’s various responsibilities when we form up as group to enjoy a day on our bikes. The leader of our pack is, of course, the Road Captain. The Road Captain carries most of the load for getting the group safely to its destination. The Road Captain needs to know how many bikes are in the group, the route of travel and the location of the destination and any interim stops. He/she needs to maintain a safe, appropriate pace. That generally means the legal speed limit unless safety issues (i.e., weather, road conditions, etc.) dictate a reduced speed. A steady pace should be maintained and prior to accelerating back to highway speed after the group has had to stop or significantly slow down (i.e., stop light, school zone, etc.) the Road Captain should initially keep the group’s pace below highway speed until all bikes in the group have had a chance to catch up

with the group. That helps reduce the rubber-band effect and keeps riders at the back of the group from

having to speed to catch up. The Sweep Rider, or Sweeper, is not just the last bike in the group. The Sweeper has specific responsibilities, including knowing the route, and the location of the destination and any interim stops. He/she also is responsible for remaining with any rider that has to pull out of the group because of mechanical or other problems. Ideally, the Sweeper will have a cell phone to call for assistance and to let the Road Captain know what happened.

What about the rest of us? We have responsibilities too. Foremost is to ride safely. That means paying attention to the riders in front of us, as well as in back so that we can maintain an adequate space cushion to allow us to maneuver and safely stop. The best way to insure an adequate space cushion is to ride in a staggered formation, something we do on all of our group rides. A staggered formation has several major advantages over other formations. It takes up less space on the highway, making it easier for the group to stay together, while effectively protecting the lane and deterring other traffic from cutting in. It also gives each rider the entire width of the lane to maneuver if necessary. Unfortunately, these advantages disappear if the staggered formation becomes too spread out, which essentially reduces the group to a bunch of individual riders.

In a well maintained staggered formation, the Road Captain rides in the left third of the lane, while the next rider stays at least one second behind in the right third of lane. The third rider is at least two seconds behind the Road Captain in the left third of the lane, but only one second behind the second rider. The rest of the group follows this pattern. If someone drops out of the group creating a gap, riders simply realign by slowly changing from one side of the lane to the other when it is safe to do so. (Note: It is not legal in Florida for one motorcycle to pass through another motorcycle’s lane to fill in the gap ahead.) And, of course, during inclement weather, we would increase the space cushion to provide an additional safety margin.

Riding in a group is like any other team activity. The rules may be simple, but for the group to function efficiently and safely, each rider needs to follow those rules, for his/her own safety and the safety of the other riders in the group. When everyone does his/her job, group riding is a blast. It’s stress-free and a lot of fun for everyone. If you have any questions or concerns before heading out on a group ride, make sure you talk to the Road Captain about them so they can be resolved. Then head out on the road for one of the most enjoyable of motorcycling activities—riding with your friends. Be safe out there and have a great time.

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