[SYD & Surrounds] 2011 Ride Thread

[Betty]

OK so most of you know how this works ... but what we try to do is organise a social ride once every two months and try to get as many Monsters (OK occasionally we make concessions ) along as possible. A few things to bear in mind:

• these are social rides
• they tend to be full-ish days (although distance varies), but not over-taxing (social remember) ... there is plenty of stops and lots of chit-chat
• we have a broad range riders with varying levels of experience and ability ... all are welcome
• we have started a rotation between Saturday and Sunday to be more inclusive
• dates may change by agreement
• route/destination is determined by some sort of loose concensus well in advance ... suggestions are always welcome
• a separate thread is usually started for each ride to track attendees and plan the route and meeting place
• if you have any questions, ask
• other rides take place on an ad-hoc basis ... and are usually posted separately
• there is a possibility that we may get lost or separated
• etc, etc
• blah, blah, blah
• all the usual disclaimers
• I'll move on now

So the dates for 2011:

Saturday 5th February
Sunday 3rd April
Saturday 4th June Cancelled due to lack of interest
Sunday 7th August Saturday 6th August
Saturday 1st October - this falls within school holidays and is the long weekend
Sunday 4th December

Let me know if there are any serious clashes such as racing, religious dates, double demerits, etc. I have noted school holidays and public holidays where applicable (if I've got them right). School holidays extend from 24th September until 9th October, so I think an alternative might be warranted. Perhaps a date either side, schedule a track day in lieu ... maybe our 'never quite got around to it' go-karting day?

Overnighters have also been discussed previously, so perhaps we pick one of the dates and make it a weekend to head for the Byalong Valley or something.

Let me know and I will edit this post.

[J5]

october long weekend will have double demerits

suggest the following weekend , but you may want to check Motogp PI is usually somewhere around there IIRC 

[mattyvas]

Outstanding job.
Along with the dates I think we also need to really need to get on the same page when it comes to simple guidelines to follow when it comes to group rides.
Sure we've tried to group people on the road but that doesn't seem to work for us, which is perfectly fine.
What we do need to do is know who is the ride leader and follow that person.
If you are leaving early that is fine just let the group know as people have done so we are not counting you and missing you.
Groups splitting in the middle of a ride just confuses people and also makes it hard to know who has gone where and how many people are left.

We have always been good at this it's just the last time or two we have fragmented and it has made it difficult with people chasing others across the country side.

Bring on 2011 and the Oz Monsters group/social rides.

[monstermick58]

An overnighter sounds good, the last one I did was a couple of years ago when we rode the Oxley (absolute blast) we did it on Melbourne cup week, suprisingly no cops around on cup day.

Anyone interested in doing that ride?





                               Mmick

[cakeman]

An overnighter sounds good, the last one I did was a couple of years ago when we rode the Oxley (absolute blast) we did it on Melbourne cup week, suprisingly no cops around on cup day.

Anyone interested in doing that ride?





                               Mmick

Hey mate, Myself and Brian and any one else interested are looking at doing Oxley soon. Hopefully mid Jan. Will let you know where we are at with it

[monstermick58]

Hey mate, Myself and Brian and any one else interested are looking at doing Oxley soon. Hopefully mid Jan. Will let you know where we are at with it

Yep, very interested, we did pub stays over 3 nights, if you are interested in the route we took I could look for it and post up.

There are a couple of bike museums we go past too!







                                          Mmick

[rendang]

Outstanding job.
Along with the dates I think we also need to really need to get on the same page when it comes to simple guidelines to follow when it comes to group rides.
Sure we've tried to group people on the road but that doesn't seem to work for us, which is perfectly fine.
What we do need to do is know who is the ride leader and follow that person.
If you are leaving early that is fine just let the group know as people have done so we are not counting you and missing you.
Groups splitting in the middle of a ride just confuses people and also makes it hard to know who has gone where and how many people are left.

We have always been good at this it's just the last time or two we have fragmented and it has made it difficult with people chasing others across the country side.

Bring on 2011 and the Oz Monsters group/social rides.

I for one have never ridden on group day's before joining this forum so it would be great if someone posted up some guidelines or general group ride etiquette.
I also have a laser printer so I could print out a bunch of maps with the route and main stops marked an hand em out in the morning so we avoid the unintended splitting and everyone knows where we are going and how we're getting home.

[mattyvas]

We are a pretty bunch when it comes to group rides.
There is no out of control people shooting off at twice the speed of sound.
Some simple rules to follow which we do for the most part.

Swap numbers with at least 2 other riders, this way we are covered with people having contact with each other.
Know where we are going and if not try not to loose line of sight with the rider in front of you. If you do just keep going until you see someone on the road marking where we are heading. We all do ride at different paces and the group must understand that.

Don't overtake the ride leader, things may have changed on route and you may not have been fully informed of the change until the next stop, due to the size of the group and getting time to tell everyone.

Pay attention not only to what's in front of you but also what's behind you, there might be a faster rider behind you or someone who's having a better day than you and would like to get past.
Even though you are riding with friends, when overtaking you should always indicate that you are doing so. It is common sense of course but more than a few times people have been caught overtaking someone in front who then decides to overtake at the same time.

[cakeman]

when overtaking you should always indicate that you are doing so. It is common sense of course but more than a few times people have been caught overtaking someone in front who then decides to overtake at the same time.

Could i just add on the overtaking point, if you are overtaking a car, truck, bus or whatever and there are other riders behind you likely to overtake at the same time, its generally a good idea once you have over taken, not to pull in front of the car (or what ever) and NOT leave enough room for your fellow riders to pull in behind you...... over take far enough (if you can) for fellow riders to pull in.

just my 2c

[Betty]

Know where we are going and if not try not to loose line of sight with the rider in front of you. If you do just keep going until you see someone on the road marking where we are heading. We all do ride at different paces and the group must understand that.

I think it is more important not to lose sight of the rider behind you ... it is a much safer approach.

This doesn't mean that we shouldn't all have fun, but every now and then it makes sense to just back off and make sure that those following are, in fact, OK ... and still following. Putting the onus on the slower rider to 'try and keep up' is a bad idea regardless of the circumstances.

Could i just add on the overtaking point, if you are overtaking a car, truck, bus or whatever and there are other riders behind you likely to overtake at the same time, its generally a good idea once you have over taken, not to pull in front of the car (or what ever) and NOT leave enough room for your fellow riders to pull in behind you...... over take far enough (if you can) for fellow riders to pull in.

just my 2c

I have had this happen to me a number of times. Remember that the roads we normally ride often have limited overtaking opportunities ... and that those behind are often slower or less expereienced. Be mindful that you may have a number of other riders following on an overtaking move ... and we are all going to need room to tuck back in. Good point Cakeman.

[mattyvas]

Sorry that wasn't exactly my point, making people keep up with a faster rider is silly of course. I think as the group rides have grown people have found where they are comfortable. Riding trying to keep an eye on the rider behind can also be difficult. I think we are generally pretty good at keeping an eye out for each other.

I guess what I was meaning was that if you are a fast rider and trying to push through slower people it's not so wise and if you are a slower rider and trying to stay up front same goes. If you surround yourself with similar paced riders then you won't have to keep up or keep an eye on your mirrors more than you ever would normally.

I say this because I have noticed that on the last few rides when we have set off from our first meeting point (I am usually the leader) i see a huge gap from the out set.
We are just traveling in urban areas and I never speed, so having these hugs gaps makes it difficult to always keep an eye on your mirrors in this sort of situation.

[Betty]

I say this because I have noticed that on the last few rides when we have set off from our first meeting point (I am usually the leader) i see a huge gap from the out set.
We are just traveling in urban areas and I never speed, so having these hugs gaps makes it difficult to always keep an eye on your mirrors in this sort of situation.

From someone that is usually at the other end ... I didn't realise this was a big problem. Just remember that by the time you are up to the speed limit the 4th rider is still in the driveway. If we all leave a 'safe' gap the last rider will be some distance away.

Also it only takes one car or a change of traffic lights to break us up. So long as we don't head for the eastern suburbs we should be good.

[mattyvas]

It's not so much a problem just something I've noticed.
I know it's hard to have such a big group stay together on urban roads and yes we do naturally get strung out a bit.
It's more so that people seem to want to take it easy and when you are up front the next riders don't want to be rude and pass you.
The tighter the group in urban situations the easier it is to get out to the fun stuff.

[Betty]

Saturday 5th February

Only three weeks to go ... and no plan.

I am about to start another thread specifically for this ride.

[FIFO]

Hello