Revised Feb, 2006 The Woodlands HOG Chapter #1420 Riders Briefing 2006

Before leaving on a ride, the Director, Assistant Director, Head Road Captain, Safety Officer or ride sponsor will hold a brief riders meeting. These standard operating procedures should be voiced during the riders briefing to all riders immediately before the start of a ride. Even if most of the riders are known to us, we should still review these procedures out loud. At the end of the briefing, be sure and ask if there are any questions. During this briefing the following points should be covered as a minimum:

a) Groups should be split up to have 5 or 6 bikes maximum. b) Everyone will ride in a staggered formation. Side by side is illegal and dangerous. A staggered formation allows for maximum visibility and safety for each rider. Try to stay in your staggered position and dont wander from side to side. However, on curves, a rider does own the entire width of the lane, if needed, to maneuver. This is different from wandering. c) Riders should not pass other riders within their group. Maintain the same position relative to the other riders. If a rider wants to change positions in the group, do it at the next rest break. d) Allow a minimum of 2 seconds between you and the rider directly in front of you, and 1 second between you and the staggered rider in front of you. This space cushion gives each rider room to maneuver and still maintains the riding formation. e) If the bike in front of a rider is a trike (3 wheeler), allow 2 seconds following distance. The trike owns the whole width of the lane. f) During heavy traffic, a tight formation works best to keep other traffic from cutting into your group, although keep in mind that safety comes before the integrity of the group. On open roads, the group can loosen up. g) In the event the group gets separated while going through a town, the lead group should pull over at a safe location and wait for the remainder of their group. For the group that got separated, dont do anything dangerous to catch up. The lead group will wait for you. h) If a rider has to pull over during a ride, they should do so safely and try to signal the rider in front of them and behind them to let them know they are pulling over. The Sweeper will pull over and remain with the rider who has stopped and is responsible for coordinating the situation with the Road Captain. The Road Captain, and the remaining group, will continue riding to a safe location, such as a parking lot or service station. The Road Captain will either call the Sweeper, or send a rider back to assess the situation. i) It is important for each rider to ride his own ride. Just because the bike in front of you crosses an intersection doesnt mean that the intersection will be clear for you. You are responsible for your own safety and for obeying all traffic signals and signs. j) Alcohol consumption is prohibited until the ride is over.

Riders Briefing

Revised Feb, 2006

k) If there are any really new riders or someone who hasnt done much group riding, suggest that they ride directly behind the Road Captain in one group. This position in the group reduces the amount of constant speed adjustment which will reduce the yo-yo effect which requires a rider to speed up to catch up. l) Explain the basic hand signals that the Road Captains will use. Encourage everyone to use these signals. m) Introduce the Road Captains and go over the route. Hand out maps of the route to the Road Captains and whoever wants them. Suggest places for rest stops along the route. n) Discuss any special conditions to be encountered on this route: Road construction, rain, gravel, toll booths, etc. o) Ensure that the specific ending location of the ride is defined and understood by the riders. This determines the cessation of insurance and liability coverage by the Chapter. p) If anyone in the group observes any other rider riding in an unsafe manner, they should inform the Road Captain, Sweeper or Chapter Officer at the first opportunity. q) Let all riders know that cruise controls or throttle locks are not to be used during a group ride. The dynamics of group riding demand our highest level of concentration and preparedness for emergency maneuvers. We must always be at our best and prepared to react instantaneously to events during the ride. The use of cruise controls or throttle locks endangers the riders in front, should they need to stop or decelerate quickly. r) Explain the lane change procedure. The Road Captain puts on his turn signal, which is echoed by all the riders in the group. The group does not start changing lanes yet. The Sweeper will secure the new lane, and then the bikes will move to the new lane, starting with the last bike before the Sweeper, then the next to last bike, etc. until finally the Road Captain is the last bike to change lanes.

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