Doing the rideout?
 

Anyone else a bit apprehensive about riding in such a big group of bikes in close quarters? I've seen groups of 25, and occasions on the GM with 50, where riders get excited, swept up in the atmosphere, and are perhaps concentrating on the spectacle of it all, rather than what's in front or behind them?

I know I'll be taking it very easy, near the back, and riding very defensively in a group of that size.

I know I don't have to do the rideout, and I know others who have decided not to for exactly this reason, but I have decided the benefit outweighs the risk, but it still doesn't stop me being a bit apprehensive about it and I'm not exactly a newbie to group riding.

How many bikes are we actually expecting?

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

I have to say that yes I am a little. Like you I wont have ridden in a group this big, although I have done plenty of bigger group rides on AR08 & AR09.

I think though that as long as everybody on the ride, rides sensibly and leaves each other room and space, we'll all be OK, I've found on most org rides everybody in the majority behaves themselves and I've got no reason to think that AR10 wont be any different in that respect.

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

I am very nervous tbh, both because it'll be 364 days since my off and my first proper rideout in a group since then. I don't ride that fast anyway so I will likely be at the back of the back with only the Tail End Charlie for company.

Just a question, is there a map of the route anyway? Hovis would always draw it up in Google maps so you'd see what you were getting yourself into.

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

I ain't a fast rider, but I do like a loon when the opportunity arises. I therefore see no reason why dedicated meet up points should not be identified and then it is upto the individual, do they want to play follow my leader or perhaps have a more spirited ride and a longer rest period at the meet points etc. and first dabs at the grub

OK I know I am the voice of dissent on this. I think it a valid argument, but the AR becomes personal fiefdoms to some and everybody must conform.

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

Col, i will be with at the back lol
If my wife decides to do the rideout i will be even slower than normal, with a pillion on the back of the sprint it is very heavy and it takes a lot of effort and distance to stop from speed without clair headbutting me in the back and crapping herself.
She, like me will wanna take in the views like i will.
Ill be keeping my distance as ill be riding with a lot of people i dont know yet so dont know how they ride, i dont want someone slamming their anchors on coming up to a corner and me being too close.
I suspect a good proportion of the ride will be slow anyway with that amount of bikes.
I must admit i did toy with the idea of not doing the rideout as my shoulder is giving me grief still, but ibuprofen will sort that hopefully.

Cant wait now, im excited :)

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

Riding with 200 others is no different from riding with 30 others

You'll only ever see up to 20 in front of you and maybe 5 behind unless you're on a really long straight

But it's more interesting when you can fill a small supermarket car park when you stop...

Just remember to wave and smile to the folks that stop and stare...




Now... Organising a 200 rider rideout... That's the challenge...

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

Pit stops, a damm good reason to get there first.


We have an etiquette for fuel stops locally, once you have filled, push your bike away from the pump before you go to pay. that way somebody else can be filling whilst your paying. Makes getting though a lot quicker.

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

Hey we cant ALL be at the back!

But yeah, the biggest group I have rode in is with 2 others lol. Fresh license first bike etc.

Will be taking it eaaasy.

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

To make it quicker, how about the first person fills up, and then the second person pulls alongside, first person fills their tank too, third person pulls up, first person fills their tank, fourth person............................................ ......

Then everyone legs it leaving the first person with the bill :smt003

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

If the person at the pump doesnt mind, I'd just give them the cash (say £10 or £15) depending on how empty I am, and they can fill meup !

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

Oh, well, nice to see I'm not alone.

It's not speed that worries me to be honest, I'm not talking about people crashing because they are not riding at their own pace, more what Fizz says about leaving room and space, and not ending up like a pack of dominoes if somebody gets into trouble, panics, or does something silly. Or people getting frustrated with the pace and riding down the wrong side of the road trying to get up front, before cutting back into a busy pack in at the last minute with oncoming cars flashing headlights, as I've seen a few times on the GM. Also once a car driver has waited for 100 bikes to pass at a give way, he is going to be pretty tempted to go for a silly gap and pull out on someone. Or simply someone marvelling that they can see see so many bikes in their mirrors, then looking back forwards just in time to avoid whoever they had been careering towards. Or car drivers marvelling at us and pointing us out to the kids, instead of looking where they are going. Etc, etc , etc. I just think we are all going to need to be all eyes!

100 bikes arriving in one place at the same time is just a situation on the road that nobody is expecting, nor is anybody particularly used to, and that's when **** happens.

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

i agree here.

you raise some valid points, but the way i see it is that you can only control what you do! give yourself the best chance of anticipating and then reacting to a situation as you can. be confident and don't worry about what you can't control is my way of thinking. i've ridden in groups plenty of times, but none as big as this, other than the previous 2 AR's, but i'm not going to get myself worked up and worried about it (i don't mean this in a nasty way as there are plenty of other things that make me crap myself, lol).

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

All we ask is that people really do pay attention during the pre-ride breifing and that people keep their distance. It doesn't matter at what point you get to each stop.

But yes, bit apprehensive about it. To be honest though, if people ride sensibly there shouldn't be any issues.

In answer to this question, there is. But we won't be giving details of the route out until people arrive. This is the norm for the AR, plus, being a public forum, we don't want our whereabouts for the whole day known.

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

I'm not coming up to the AR, but I do occasionally get out on the Martin Jennings run (annual charity event - Martin died at the Manx 20-some years ago) which has a turnout of over 1000. In recent years it has had a police escort (6 bikes ish) and the bike paramedic turns out too.
tbh, the only trouble comes from people riding like twonks and trying to overtake the whole rideout in one go, then dropping back to do it all again. There was a bad accident a few years back (probably the reason the police now show up!), but that is the only time in the ride-outs history that anything like that has ever happened.
Now, I've not met any of you in person, but I'm sure you are all quite sane (regardless of what gets posted up here...) and so long as everyone sticks to their own limits / riding ability you will all have a blast.
Obligatory linky to video of lots of bikes on a rideout: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x78ic1PkmE8

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

I'm really looking forward to it, the sight of over 100 bikes, and more importantly the sound.

The ride is very well organised, with loads of markers who know there stuff. The general public seem to enjoy the sight and sound as much as us, so generally give us the time and space we need, sept for maybe 1 or 2 wollies!

If you think you are slow and nervous, believe me, there will always be someone slower, or more nervous than you, and after the first leg, you will all feel much better about things. You'll also find the group naturally divides up into smaller groups, making it seem much less intense...until the stops!

Then you get all the sights and sounds of the ride, compacted into a small area, which is awesome...Queue car park kill switch, and who's horn,exhaust is louder!!! :D

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

Sorry if this sounds a bit noobish.

How does the rideout actually work?

I know we well have someone leading, and someone right at the end - but what are the jobs of the markers?

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

When the group gets spread out, you might find that you can't see anyone. So you might not know where to turn etc.

The job of the marker is to mark a junction and tell you where to go so you don't get lost. The marker waits at a junction until another maker arrives or until everyone has passed (TEC)

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

Ah I see.

Thank you

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

I agree with everything Phil has said, with the exception of the last part. Please can we not have backfiring, burnouts etc in the stop areas. As will likely cause a world of hassle. lol. :D

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

I said horns, exhaust and car park kill switch!!! Backfiring/burnouts are very much frowned upon! :D

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

I thought you meant backfiring too, ie: rev, then hit the kill switch.

What you mean is hit the kill switch, then watch and laugh as the rider fiddles with ignition, clutch, side stand and neutral, trying to figure out why the bike won't start. :D

Won't work for me, I flick off my kill switch every time I stop the bike, so I'm used to turning it on every time.

Sitting next to somebody at traffic lights, then hitting their kill switch just as the light turns green, and riding away, is much more fun anyway! :mrgreen:

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

Your very last comment is what I meant. In Tesco last year, there were a fair few of us hitting the kill switch of the person next to us. T'was an amusing way to pass the time for a couple minutes!

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

All you need to worry about is enjoying the ride, enjoying the scenery and being aware of other riders.

Markers will direct people at any junctions and if you see a marker asking you to do something then please follow their instructions.

Other than that, enjoy the ride.

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

The AR is always a big ride out and I've marked the last 3. People know what to expect by now, and the pre-ride briefing confirms this, so we generally don't have too many idiots hooning about during the ride.

Ride at your own pace, give each other and the markers plenty of room, don't worry about the route as the markers are there to make sure you don't get lost, you probably won't be the slowest rider there, and even if you are it really doesn't matter due to the way the marker system is organised.

Most of all have fun!

There's very little to be worried about as far as I can see!

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

Apart from you!!!

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

I have helped mark / look into the route for a couple of the ARs, and I would suggest the following:

Please don't fuss about being at the back if you're worried you'll be slow. It simply doesn't work like that. At the front the pace is actually slightly more consistent as people get less of an accordien effect going on. But it's entirely down to you. The people at the front will NOT be going bat-out-of-hell fast anyway unless they want the group hideously spread out.

Tim and I have had discussions about the dropping in & out of the rideout in the past. The simple point is every time people stop the markers have to check that they're OK, or just blast past assuming everyone must be on a fag break. It's an extra thing to check while hearding 100+ cats. However, I see his point and at the AR07 his mob got used to waving to show they were OK, so we did alright.

The ride is not a precession. Please don't overtake the markers, but you aren't expected to sit in single-file. A little common sense goes a long way, if you start buzzing people and being a twit purely for your own gratification you'll upset people and get a dressing down to boot. And how's that part of the fun weekend you wanted to come to?

While the AR is a big ride, it's traditionally been organised very well and people have had no problems getting where we're going, at a pace they're happy with*

*provided they weren't after a banzi charge carving up as many fellow riders as possible. In which case they've missed the point entirely.

I for one, am looking forward to being part of the group and enjoying the ride!

Jambo

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

Yeah, but unless I'm looking in a mirror I can't see myself...

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

What...so you can't even see your hands or feet without looking in the mirror...weird!

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

Not worried at all mate :thumbsup:

Hongman was just asking what a "marker" does :)

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

Never met you BEAR but you seem to have gained a reputation lol

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

There the ppl who sit there going wtf as you carry on riding straight past them :rolleyes:

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

Actually, if you want a banzai charge past as many riders as possible, that is an option too.

You just sit around making rude gestures at everyone who passes. Then, when you see TEC, you jump on your bike and blast past the lot of 'em, find a new place and start gesticulating all over again. It's called being a marker.

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

Just seen this post, its something i have been thinging about for a few days. I am apprehensive too, not knowing the other ride. My thought was potter at the back, if i do the run. If i dont i will prob go for a run on my own. some where.

As it seem a couple of you i know and trust may be at the back, awesome. :)

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

+1 to everything Drew, Jambo, Bear and a few others have said. I would say that we don't want to make too much noise at the stops as the last thing we need is a telling off from the boys in blue or to draw attention to ourselves in that way, but we can still have fun.

And please, if you're going to flick someones kill switch off....make sure they are a confident and experienced rider. I've seen someone do it a rider coming to a stop and that rider ended up dropping the bike in a panic....so have fun, but be thoughtful of who you are doing it to.

I'm a new rider and I've had the same apprehensions, but to be perfectly honest, I think that if everyone rides to their own abilities, staggers, leaves a safe distance, keeps their eyes open and keeps one of those eyes in their mirrors, we should all be fine.

Ride for yourselves, have consideration for others and don't get lulled into a false sense of security following the rider in front....they make be able to take a corner much better than you.

Most of all....relax and enjoy it...it's going to be quite a spectacle! :-)

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

I must confess to sitting on the fence a bit at the moment over riding on the AR. I'm still trying to sort my life out enough to get away next weekend but things are looking good at the moment, and it would be rude to come all the way to Wales and not enjoy the roads there. I did ask a while back about how the AR is going to be organized because I've a fair bit or experience around such things and personally I won't enjoy riding in a procession.

The problem with having dedicated "markers" is that you either need enough of them to cover every junction and start with them at the front (unlikely) or they need to be able to move through the group to get back to the front in time to mark the next junction, in which case the leader needs to keep the pace down enough for this to happen....and you end up in a procession. By keeping the pace down you also tend to end up with big groups, and there have also been several valid comments about the impact that can have on other road users.

Personally I'm a big fan of the drop off system where every rider has the potential of being a marker. If you're not sure how it works it's fairly simple. There is a dedicated leader at the front, and sweeper at the back, both wearing something distinctive... When the leader reaches a junction whoever is directly behind them stops and marks the junction until the sweeper arrives, then they rejoin in front of them. The advantage is that the leader can set a reasonable pace and hopefully string the group out over several miles, which means that every rider can ride at their own pace with room around them. If you want to ride fast then you generally end up marking a lot of junctions, if you want to ride at a slower pace then you don't ever have to stop, which helps keep the ride moving.

It's not my place to be dictating how you guys are going to run this but with 150-200 potential bikers to look after you're going to have your work cut out. My suggestion for what it's worth would be to break the whole affair up into four or five groups, each with a dedicated leader and sweeper, and allocate each group a particular pace. Set the more progressive group off first, followed by successive slower one. That will allow riders to choose which group they want to be in, and should they find themselves in a group that is a bit to quick for them they can simply stop, tell their sweeper they will be joining the group behind, and wait for the slower group. Likewise if the group is to slow they can move up a group at the petrol stop. Just a suggestion.....

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

Hi Red herring,

I know where your coming from ,

But the peeps organizing this AR know the drop off system inside out & we have been using it for years on our 'normal' rideouts all over the country.

I don't know if you have attended an AR before ... but there is no way you can start dividing riders up into seperate groups .

The system being used this year has worked perfectly over the last few AR's and there is no way it will change for this one !

If You do not like the idea of riding in a 'prossesion' with your fellow orgers .. which after all is what it is all about ... You may be better of going for a blast on your own at a pace that suits you ??

To be honest suggesting changing a rideout that others have put hours of their time into organising is a bit thoughtless & could make some nervous riders feel even more put off going on a brilliant ride that Everyone should be able to enjoy in their own way.

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

Fair point, but there have been several people, me included, asking just how it will be done and all we have received back is a "don't worry, the markers will take care of everything". I appreciate that may re-assure many but for anyone who knows anything about organizing this number of riders it just won't wash. I do understand you may have done this before, but my understanding from reading previous threads is that you hadn't had this many involved then so I was just trying to be helpful. My apologies if it wasn't welcome.

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

Sorry if I sounded a bit harsh ... maybe an idea to put forward for next year ?

I hope You have a great AR

Caz

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

Not this **** again.

Theres always one every year...

Its the Annual Rideout - if you want to go hooning/looning/being a **** then it may not be the rideout for you...

As mentioned, its a lot of people, so some restraint is probably the order of the day.

Re: Doing the rideout?
 

Guys, Stretchie is doing the route and leading, so he will be along to comment on this soon.

What I will say is that we have been discussing this for the last 9-10 months and with all of the combined experience, the ride has been organised to ensure the safety of all involved. This is the priority and having already discussed this to exhaustion, the marker system is the only system that will ensure this level of safety.

I do appreciate any comments and suggestions, but we won't be changing the running of the rideout now. All sections will be marked safely, allowing riders to only have to concentrate on their own riding...the markers will look after everyone.

There are enough markers to mark each section without the need to have to be in a silly rush to get back to the front.


Again, safety for all is paramount here and we will be more likely to have 120-150 bikes, I'd be surprised if we had any more bikes than that. Many go twos up and many are not even bringing bikes.

Rest assured guys, we'll happily answer questions, but we do have this in hand. :-)