[jambo]

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