Marches Meander #2 will be on Saturday 4 October

whos leading?

Originally Posted by hovis

whos leading?

Whoever wants to, is the short answer.

The longer version - I'm not fussed about leading, not least because I'm not that fast and I don't want people to get irritated. However, I do know the way. It's important that whoever is leading knows where we're going and also knows where the more exotic corners are so can get people to slow down if nec. Equally important that everyone knows who's leading - maybe that leader should have a hi viz or something so can be identified quickly.

H - if you want to lead, at least for part, then feel free, but don't go off at warp speed as that is not the idea of the day. You need to remember that we will be a mixed experience group and some will be slower, and will feel ****ed off if people ride at silly speed.

Maybe that different people can lead for different sections. If we do it anti-clockwise, and it seems that we will, see update thread, the first section - the A488 to the Cross Gates - has some fantastic corners but also some of them are a bit tight. I'm thinking particularly of under the railway bridge at Hanwood just outside S'bury, the Hope Valley, the very sharp corner at New Invention, the corner just before you come into Clun, the two corners in Clun village (but that's a very slow bit anyway), and the one as you come down the hill into Knighton. There might be a few more that I can't think of at the moment. Whoever does this bit needs to know where the particularly sharp corners are.

A volunteer is worth ten pressed men...

ed........ i only asked as it got a bit cofusing last time, i dont fancy leading as i dont know the roads

i also think the leader should not be overtaken, as i belive it to be a bit rude, but on the other hand if the leader is riding at a slower pace to the others, it gets a bit bunched up at the front

but more importantly the drop offs need to be looked at, last time there were certain riders in 2nd position not doing drop offs....... i know i and a few others ended up doing them when we were in 4th-5th position, this lead to a few junctions not being marked, and people getting lost, i dont realy know how to make people do drop offs though

its simple if you dont want to do drop offs dont get to the front.

[Luckypants]

Originally Posted by hovis

i also think the leader should not be overtaken, as i belive it to be a bit rude, but on the other hand if the leader is riding at a slower pace to the others, it gets a bit bunched up at the front

but more importantly the drop offs need to be looked at, last time there were certain riders in 2nd position not doing drop offs....... i know i and a few others ended up doing them when we were in 4th-5th position, this lead to a few junctions not being marked, and people getting lost, i dont realy know how to make people do drop offs though

its simple if you dont want to do drop offs dont get to the front.

I think you may have answered your question Hovis mate, if it is not clear who is the leader, then not everyone will realise they are bike #2. Make the leader clear and let them be leader all the time, then the bike behind the leader MUST drop off - if someone forgets them remind them at the next stop.

Making the kleader clear can be a distinctive bike / hi-vis / etc

The problem last time was... Karl (Hypermotard). He overtook me so everybody else did. Then he realised that nobody knew the route so he claims that he had to stay in front. And it degenerated from there

It would be a good idea I think to share lead. As long as we are clear ALL THE TIME who is leading and as long as they don't lose the people behind.

[fizzwheel]

The easiest way of making it clear is to make the leader / tec wear a hi viz then you can swap them around as the lead rider changes between sections, but you make it very clear that nobody overtakes the hi viz in front and that they stay and the junction til the hi viz at the back comes into view / overtakes them.

I dont like wearing a hi-viz but on a group ride it does make idenfying people easier.

I don't mind who leads.......... as i will be nowhere near the front

But the junction marking needs to be sorted otherwise i'll get lost again!!!!!!!!!!!!!

after karl left, bluepete took over the lead, AFAIK. and this was when drops offs were being missed,

agree with the high viz bit (i dont think i need to wear one, as im the only **** in yellow)......

but even when the leader is known, there are certain junctions that dont get marked,elsaxo was tec. and im sure he was wearing a hi viz which happened to lily on MM1 which was not too bad, as she knew the roads, but when it happened on my rideout on saturday, it set us back an hour.

[fizzwheel]

Sometimes it happens and theres nowt you can do about it.

The best way is to give a good pre ride brefing, and explain time and time again about how the drop off works, ask if there are people who are not familiar with it and take them to one side and just take a couple of minutes to explain it again to those people seperately.

Then put the people who are experienced with it at the front and then once one or two people drop off the others will also get the idea.

The other thing that you can do is if the leader rider notices that somebody hasnt dropped off is to stop and wait for everybody to re-group again. The other thing that I do is when I come to a junction I want marked is that I ride very slowly up to it and then I raise my hand and I point at the junction. I've stopped before at a junction and made somebody mark before riding away as well.

The drop off system does work, but only if everybody trusts it and follows it.

Even though it is very very unlikley i will be attending this ride out. I agree with Hovis on the drop off system last time. It wasa farce TBH. And it was not the fact Ed was overtaken either. The first time it happened fair enough its a mistake. However the same people kept on ignoring their duties, after me and others made it clear it was not amusing anymore. I dont want to name names but they know who thery are, and yest it fu*ked off the rest of us who had to do your job for you.


Its not a hard concept to grasp is it? if you are second you stop and mark a junction. If you dont want to do it dont go at the front as LP said