Official LARGE GROUP MEET/RIDE

[Kenn157]

DucDave is one of our more experienced riders and has lead countless rides! Everytime I'm on one of his rides he has a riders meeting. Being on lots of them myself I know what he expects of the group. We have a blast, many of the riders I'm with, I'm always with. We trust each-other and know how they ride. It takes time to develope this trust with the other rider(s). If you feel comforatble with someone, try to get on rides they'll be on too. Surround yourself with the riders/friends you know and trust.

[Lxpony]

Damn..... Glad everyone's OK...

It's never good to hear about downed riders, but relieved when there is minimal injuries!

I was home all day wishing I was out there riding, but at the same time it's moments like these that do not have me missing big group rides. Shit happens and we all learn from our mistakes. Sometimes it's not our fault at all. This is part of the risks we all take riding a street bike.

Do all you can to ride cautiously/deffensively, always have your eyes all around you for people, cars, obsticles in the roads. You never know whats around the corner. Even if you know the road each time you ride it something could be different.

Most importantly, NEVER RIDE OVER YOUR ABILITIES. If you don't feel comfortable, or don't think your reactions are fast enough to move around or stop at the speeds your going is a good sign that your in over your head.

I am not preaching, I do not know exactly what happened, I am not saying anyone here is at fault. Just rules to ride by.

I am truely glad everyone walked away from this and will ride another day! Small price to pay for a learing experience if you take it that way!

So does this mean we arent going to do this ride all over again with you this upcoming Sunday?? I am game again

[TDDragon]

So does this mean we arent going to do this ride all over again with you this upcoming Sunday?? I am game again

Lol.

I personally am definitely going to go on smaller group rides from now on

[DucDave]

Lol.

I personally am definitely going to go on smaller group rides from now on

It's not the size of the ride...
...its the riders on the ride.

(One of the reasons I insist on ATGATT on my rides is it sets a 'tone' and is, in some ways, a self limiting qualifier. I'm not interested in having 'I'll wear whatever I want to wear...' riders on my rides!)

Big rides can have events. Small rides can have events. Stupid riders can crash and really good riders can crash.

[The Snowman]

It's not the size of the ride...
...its the riders on the ride.

It might a matter of getting in over your head. (remember the 80% rule)

Or, the fact that target fixation happens to everyone. We're human.

[TDDragon]

It's not the size of the ride...
...its the riders on the ride.

(One of the reasons I insist on ATGATT on my rides is it sets a 'tone' and is, in some ways, a self limiting qualifier. I'm not interested in having 'I'll wear whatever I want to wear...' riders on my rides!)

Big rides can have events. Small rides can have events. Stupid riders can crash and really good riders can crash.

Well heard a lot of good stuff about you leading rides - so will reserve judgement on group rides until after I joined one of your rides, hows that And it was not the crash that made me comment that I would want to join only small group rides from now on.

And sounds already great making sure that everyone on ride is ATGATT.

[markbvt]

Stupid riders can crash and really good riders can crash.

+1. On my recent Labrador/Newfoundland trip I made it over 3000 miles of remote roads without incident (800 miles of them loose gravel), then crashed on a typical suburban street at the end of the trip because I got complacent and let my concentration lapse for just a moment.

Glad everyone walked away from this one. Rt 140 definitely has a few corners that can take you by surprise.

--mark

[DucDave]

+1. On my recent Labrador/Newfoundland trip I made it over 3000 miles of remote roads without incident (800 miles of them loose gravel), then crashed on a typical suburban street at the end of the trip because I got complacent and let my concentration lapse for just a moment.

Glad everyone walked away from this one. Rt 140 definitely has a few corners that can take you by surprise.

--mark

Great example Mark...

And, for the record, I have done almost exactly the same thing a few years ago! Ended up breaking all five philanges in my right foot!

[catamount]

What happened to the guy who crashed his monster over the guard rail on 17 last time we did this?

I would also like an update on this guy. He was riding a Monster 900 I believe. Went over the guard rail. He ended up crashing again on his way home to RI.

Would like to hear that he's all healed up and riding again if anyone happens to know.

[TIMMYDUCK]

Anyone who wasn't on this ride can start by .

Next point is we did have a group meeting explaining all the usual safety concerns and routes to be taken , then again at the 1st gas stop in Rawsonville,where I told the group I would be dropping in back with the other Busa at the start of VT RT 140 because of the up coming twisties, decreasing radius turns and such not.

I know Mellow Yellow as a matter of fact I was one of the 1st persons he meet on the NE forums, ridden half a dozen or so rides with him.

It was a slight mishap on his part complicated by the second bike following him in.

There is where your concern should be , for the poor guy who wrecked his Honda with no insurance, and was injured on top of it.

Mellow is a capable rider and just had a mishap cause at least he was able to ride home.

If it had happened on the track every fricking racer here would have been looking to remount and finish the race.

So again if you wren't on this ride.

[DucDave]

1. This is a public forum. You can tell us to STFU if you want but we are entitled to go tell you to fuck yourself.
2. Without exception, every post here was either completely sympathetic to the guys involved or at the very least, were making observations about what happened.
3. I believe I am a capable rider. I believe I admitted to an avoidable off. And for the record, that wasn't my only one.
4. When people are making suggestions, and not critcizing anyone...which is clearly what this thread is about..over reacting as you have makes you look silly.
5. Maybe my sarcasm detector failed and I missed that your post was supposed to be funny. In which case, I'll immediately delete mine cus I don't want to look silly....

[TIMMYDUCK]

1. This is a public forum. You can tell us to STFU if you want but we are entitled to go tell you to fuck yourself.
2. Without exception, every post here was either completely sympathetic to the guys involved or at the very least, were making observations about what happened.
3. I believe I am a capable rider. I believe I admitted to an avoidable off. And for the record, that wasn't my only one.
4. When people are making suggestions, and not critcizing anyone...which is clearly what this thread is about..over reacting as you have makes you look silly.
5. Maybe my sarcasm detector failed and I missed that your post was supposed to be funny. In which case, I'll immediately delete mine cus I don't want to look silly....

Yeah the Adult Voice of reason has spoken .......So Sorry.

You didn't ride this ride so STFU

Sarcastic enough for you ?

Because all I see here is a bunch of Monday morning quaterbacks when the ride was Sunday.

[catamount]

*hears beeping, walks over to microwave*

[markbvt]

Yeah the Adult Voice of reason has spoken .......So Sorry.

You didn't ride this ride so STFU

Sarcastic enough for you ?

Because all I see here is a bunch of Monday morning quaterbacks when the ride was Sunday.

I've got to go with Dave on this one. You're overreacting. Those of us chiming in who weren't on the ride are just saying that crashes can happen no matter how good a rider you are, and we're glad no one was seriously hurt. We're being sympathetic, not pointing fingers.

Having crashed recently and actually injured myself, I know how it feels.

--mark

[gadget]

live and learn

I'm very glad that you guys are still able to do both...

[TDDragon]

Anyone who wasn't on this ride can start by .

Next point is we did have a group meeting explaining all the usual safety concerns and routes to be taken , then again at the 1st gas stop in Rawsonville,where I told the group I would be dropping in back with the other Busa at the start of VT RT 140 because of the up coming twisties, decreasing radius turns and such not.

I know Mellow Yellow as a matter of fact I was one of the 1st persons he meet on the NE forums, ridden half a dozen or so rides with him.

It was a slight mishap on his part complicated by the second bike following him in.

There is where your concern should be , for the poor guy who wrecked his Honda with no insurance, and was injured on top of it.

Mellow is a capable rider and just had a mishap cause at least he was able to ride home.

If it had happened on the track every fricking racer here would have been looking to remount and finish the race.

So again if you wren't on this ride.

I did go on ride, and enjoyed the Rt.140 portion of it. And enjoyed the VT roads you took us on - and appreciated your knowledge of roads upthere.

I did however not see any debrief on rules of the ride, routes taken, who would lead etc. And I was standing there (ie. not buying food or away on phone etc.) - and did not get any info at all communicated to me. I did hear "we wait at all stops and turns" - that’s about it I think.
I know I am not the only one, the spanish guy on the R1 did not even know how to ride staggered, and had to be told during the ride. And I also had to explain to him on our second stop that group rides are not a good place to wheelie - to which he reacted very surprised and said noone told him and he always wheelies on his rides with his buddies Not that the lack of communication caused MellowYellow to crash, he knows what he did wrong and learned from it - and it had nothing to do with anyone else. I will not go on rides anymore though that dont specify that its only for people who wear full gear - (ie. the guy on the honda had no gloves, jeans and some worker boots) - and I think is incredibly lucky to walk away with just a totaled bike and some scrapes.

Other than that things were tremendously well organized at all rotaries and stop signs by folks making sure the group stayed together, and hand signals throughout the ride were spot on and kept everyone well informed (although again I did have to figure out on my own what they meant during the ride - this having been my first group ride - not that they are very difficult to figure out but probably a good thing to go over as well with any new folks - especially the "clear road ahead" or "car ahead" ones). But just thought I'd mention that at least I did not get any info communicated about the ride - nor did I see everyone being called together to go over everything. I am sure some people were talked to and knew what was going on though I saw you drop back at 140 - and thought it was an excellent idea given the twisties - but I never knew about that part before hand and initially did not know why you had pulled off to the side waving people past. Not complaining, just giving feedback since you mentioned the "group meetings".

[solgirl]

Yeah the Adult Voice of reason has spoken .......So Sorry.

You didn't ride this ride so STFU

Sarcastic enough for you ?

Because all I see here is a bunch of Monday morning quaterbacks when the ride was Sunday.

CREEPER enough of the playing in the sandbox

I have seen alot on my rides...stuff happens....learn and move on!

Glad to hear everyone is alright!

[FAST GSXR750]

Why the TIMMYDUC bashing? I met Timmy in Enfield Ct an we rode to Deerfield Ma without incident." We" as in the Deerfield group and others rode without incident to Keene NH. TIMMYDUC took lead because he knew the area and routes. It wasn't his organized ride ,he was just a rider like everybody else. Cut the guy some slack. We are all grown ups here and nobody pushed the pace harder than other group rides i've been on. There were plenty of opportunities for anybody to take lead at anytime and nobody offered.

[TDDragon]

Why the TIMMYDUC bashing? I met Timmy in Enfield Ct an we rode to Deerfield Ma without incident." We" as in the Deerfield group and others rode without incident to Keene NH. TIMMYDUC took lead because he knew the area and routes. It wasn't his organized ride ,he was just a rider like everybody else. Cut the guy some slack. We are all grown ups here and nobody pushed the pace harder than other group rides i've been on. There were plenty of opportunities for anybody to take lead at anytime and nobody offered.

I dont think anyone bashed Timmyduc. I really liked that someone local was leading who knew all the roads upthere, and I enjoyed the ride in VT. Timmyduc just said that there were meetings with explanations - to which I commented that I at least for one did not get any of the info - so next time that part could be done better IMHO - but I also said that none of this was the cause for the crash.

[Lxpony]

I prefer to ride in small groups of guys who I know well enough to guage their skill level but I also like to meet new people. That is why I will on occasion do one of these rides. It is a way to meet new people and experience new roads.

With that being said there are definite perils to riding in a larger group of varying skills. I saw more then once a manuever yesterday that scared me. I love to ride but love to come home in same condition as I left more.

Communication absolutely should/could have been better but it isnt what caused the crashes... Timmy did the right thing in allowing others to lead on 140 and we definitely supported those who crashed. We were there 2 hours waiting post-accident.

The take aways for me is to have better communication at the start and to require full gear on any ride that I host (this wasnt my ride)

[TDDragon]

I prefer to ride in small groups of guys who I know well enough to guage their skill level but I also like to meet new people. That is why I will on occasion do one of these rides. It is a way to meet new people and experience new roads.

With that being said there are definite perils to riding in a larger group of varying skills. I saw more then once a manuever yesterday that scared me. I love to ride but love to come home in same condition as I left more.

Communication absolutely should/could have been better but it isnt what caused the crashes... Timmy did the right thing in allowing others to lead on 140 and we definitely supported those who crashed. We were there 2 hours waiting post-accident.

The take aways for me is to have better communication at the start and to require full gear on any ride that I host (this wasnt my ride)

[MysteriousR1]

And the preaching begins...

[boloson]

Yeah the Adult Voice of reason has spoken .......So Sorry.

You didn't ride this ride so STFU

Sarcastic enough for you ?

Because all I see here is a bunch of Monday morning quaterbacks when the ride was Sunday.

Why the TIMMYDUC bashing? I met Timmy in Enfield Ct an we rode to Deerfield Ma without incident." We" as in the Deerfield group and others rode without incident to Keene NH. TIMMYDUC took lead because he knew the area and routes. It wasn't his organized ride ,he was just a rider like everybody else. Cut the guy some slack. We are all grown ups here and nobody pushed the pace harder than other group rides i've been on. There were plenty of opportunities for anybody to take lead at anytime and nobody offered.

are u guys ok? just take it slow & read through people's responses. nobody was bashing anybody. nesr is probably the last place that people bash on each other, especially when it comes to someone crashing on a bike. this aint gixxer.com

and for the record ducdave runs a tight ship when it comes to group rides... but just dont ask him on how to clean a bike chain

[MonsterM636]

It's not the size of the ride...
...its the riders on the ride.

(One of the reasons I insist on ATGATT on my rides is it sets a 'tone' and is, in some ways, a self limiting qualifier. I'm not interested in having 'I'll wear whatever I want to wear...' riders on my rides!)

Big rides can have events. Small rides can have events. Stupid riders can crash and really good riders can crash.

Good point ,that is why I always felt under-dressed on Dave's Rides ,but have learned from looking at the line up during the pre ride meeting/debriefing "ATGATT"

FastGSXR750 Well spoken "We are all Grownups/Adults" so let us behave accordingly .

[MellowYellow]

I would like to thank all people who helped lift bikes off of me. LOL!!! I'm hurtin today. Left work at 9am with a terrible headache and still have it after half a bottle of asprin and bein in bed all day. Goin to doctors tomorrow just to be safe.
I tried to (keep up) that was my 1st mistake. Or If they can do it I can do it, wrong answer I shoulda backed the fuk off miles earlier. Live and learn for the next ride. Nobodys fault. We had a riders meeting etc..
One of the last group rides I went on the leader changed position 3/4 of the way through the ride and one rider hit a car head on. No real point there just sayin. Maybe Timmy woulda kept the pace down a bit. Time to recover for TTD next week.
Peace guys. Please ride smart!!!!