The last group rides of the year are coming up—check Eagle Leather’s Ride Guide—so it seems wise to repeat some safety tips for riding in groups.
Choose your companions wisely. Avoid riding with people who are intoxicated—or will be when the ride is over. Don’t ride with people who show off or over-estimate their abilities. Remember that trouble doesn’t stay in its own lane, but tends to drag in innocent bystanders.
Decide how often the group will stop. It’s not safe to ride tired, so time stops for the riders who need to top most often, usually somewhere between every 75 and 125 miles. If you map out the stops ahead of time, slower riders can find the group easily, even if they arrive later.
Ride at your own speed. Try to find a group at your experience level. And if the group is going too fast for your comfort-level, just slow down. Perhaps some other riders will be happy to join you at a slower pace. If not, you’ll catch up at the next stop.
Keep a good cushion—twenty feet is recommended—between the riders in front of you and those behind you. You’ll want to extend that cushion on curvy roads and in bad weather.
Yet, there’s no denying it: Unless you plan to ride exclusively around the Southern United States, you’ll face some chilly winters. And even before it...
