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Group riding


Group riding

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If you are riding to work most days, this will give you experience for that condition, but you may wish to do different riding on the weekend. There are a range of options, including various types of clubs.

The Girls Ride Out club is obviously biased towards (but is not exclusively for) women, whereas the Ulysses Club is biased towards the more mature age group by its membership requirements – 40 years of age to join as a junior member, 50 years old to be a full member. An internet search will reveal the clubs available and whether they have rides for members. Look for those which cater for inexperienced riders and allow for their probably slower speeds on their rides.

Discuss the way you ride with the people with whom you are riding. Everyone rides differently so it is important that the group knows what everyone is going to do. Find a group that you feel comfortable with and which listens to your needs. If you don't like something about a ride, talk to the ride leader. If they don't take you seriously, find another group.

People ride at different speeds – trying to keep up with a group that is riding faster than you can result in a crash. Be sure to ride at your own pace, how you feel comfortable.

If you are uncomfortable with how closely someone is following, ask them to stay back more at the next stop – they probably don't even realise it is worrying you. Any group ride should have a method for turn marking, such as one person marks a turn or each rider waits for the next to arrive before moving off from the turn. This allows riders to be confident that they won't be left behind and can ride at their own pace.

Try to find someone who rides at a similar pace to you and make friends/hang out with them. Also get friendly with good, experienced riders and ask them any questions you have, even the silly ones.

Most groups will split into a faster group and a slower group, sometimes even into three with a medium group as well.

Each group should have a lead and tail rider that know the ride route and are experienced enough to handle any mishaps or emergencies.

Don't ride side by side, and leave at least 3 seconds between you and the rider in front, 6 seconds in wet conditions. This gives you time to react safely if something unexpected happens.

Some signals that might be used on group rides are:

  • Pointing at indicator and opening and closing hand – you have left your indicator on and may get wiped out at the next intersection!
  • Flash brake lights quickly or turn hazard lights on – danger, be prepared to stop quickly.
  • Hand moved up and down, palm down – hazard ahead, slow down – often used to send a message to riders coming the other way.

Have regular breaks geared to the slowest rider in the group, which can be incorporated into fuel, drink/snack or lunch stops.

Make sure you keep hydrated, as being exposed to the wind takes lots of moisture out of you, particularly on a hot day.

Start off with shorter rides, say less than 100 kilometres in a day. Gradually build up to longer rides, if that is what you wish to do, as you gain experience.

Download the Group riding fact sheet (PDF 349KB/1page)

The assistance of the Motorcycle Council of NSW, the Motor Accidents Authority of NSW and Girls Ride Out is gratefully acknowledged

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