They're planning a group ride at work this Sunday 6/28. 310 miles long. I clocked about 240 miles riding with some of y'all this past Sunday... and did 302 miles a couple of weekends before that riding to/from Kure Beach... So 310 miles doesn't seem too "out there" for me. What do y'all say? Anyone else wanna go? I'm thinking of going on this ride...
Info about ride that they sent out at work:
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Hi all,
My last communique said Saturday but I have a conflict and am
planning a Sunday ride (6/28). Please RSVP so I'm not waiting for folks that may
or may not show.
Here is the proposed itinerary, route, and plan. Feel
free to comment/add/change/delete. If you get too far away from my agenda I will
let you know [my agenda is to spend as much time in the saddle as I can--hours
are more important than miles].
This route shows us meeting up at the
intersection of Poole Rd and I-440 and returning. The full loop is 310 miles and
about 7 1/2 hours drive time but of course you can always drop out at your
leisure. Well...you really need to go as far as Seven Springs (75 miles) because
that will pick up the two things I know are worth seeing.
I tried to stay on 3 and 4 digit roads. This route picks up some places I have
been that I think are worth seeing again and some that are new for me.
Hopefully we will discover some new and interesting roads and/or stops. The
triangle waypoints are rally bonus locations. Specifically:
4 Vollis Simpson’s Whirligig Farm
Lucama, NC N35 39.548 W78
03.252 125 points
Vollis Simpson’s Whirligigs - Large collection of
windmills and whirligigs. Located
on Wiggins Mill Road south of Wilson, NC.
From the intersection of I-95 and US
Highway 301 at Kenly, NC (exit 107),
take US 301 north approximately 4.9 miles
to intersection of NC Road 1109
(Dewie Simpson Road). Turn left onto NC 1109 and
go approximately 2.5 miles
to Simpson’ Whirligigs. Take photo of the Windmills
and
Whirligigs.
***
11 Bodie Island Lighthouse Replica
Pink Hill, NC N35
04.603 W77 43.842 250 points
Lighthouse Replica - Located in the middle
of a pond off of Highway 11 just north
of the town of Pink Hill on private
property. Do not trespass, but you can clearly see
the Lighthouse from the
parking lot of the service station in front of the pond. Take
a photo of the
replica lighthouse
***
15 Volunteer Fire Station
Half Moon, NC N34
49.992 W77 27.726 470 points
Half Moon Volunteer Fire Station -
Located at 4835 Gum Branch Road, Jacksonville,
NC. Gum Branch Road intersects
US 17 in Jacksonville, NC approximately 1.4 miles
north of the intersection
of US 17 and Highway 24 (Johnson Boulevard). From
Jacksonville, turn left
onto Gum Branch Road and the Fire Station is approximately
5.7 miles after
you have made the turn. Take a photo showing your motorcycle in
front of the
Half Moon Volunteer Fire Station.
***
16 Octogon House
Cedar Point, NC
N34 41.179 W77 05.095 80 points
Octogon House, Cedar Point, NC -
Located on Cedar Point Road approximately .2
mile off of Highway 24. The
house is fenced off but you can see the house from the
road. Take a photo of
the Octogon House.
***
18 John Wright Stanly House
New Bern, NC N35
06.458 W77 02.683 265 points
The Stanly House was built in the early
1780s for John Wright Stanly, a prominent
New Bern citizen. John Hawks, the
architect who designed Tryon Palace, may have
designed the Stanly House as
well. Built of hand-hewn longleaf pine, the Stanly
House remains one of the
finest examples of Georgian architecture in the South. Take
a photo of The
Stanly House.
***
#9 is one that was never on a rally but should have
been, this is a great location! Cliffs Of The Neuse State Park (http://www.ncparks.gov/Visit/parks/clne/main.php).
At the turn of the century visitors flocked to the area. They drank mineral
water from local springs to cure their ills and they took riverboat excursions
to the cliffs. Things have changed since then, however, the cliffs remain
virtually unaltered, standing as a journal of the geological and biological
history of the land. You will find Spanish Moss growing in the park. This is the
northernmost location to find this moss.
I can send softcopy
of this route in garmin, streets and trips, mappoint, or any format my converter
will generate. let me know what version you want.
Here are some
fundamentals we need to discuss for group riding. I have ridden with the TriDoD
folks before and I like their rules. This will be a Highlands style group ride.
I plan to lead (since I have the route and GPS) but if anybody else can follow
the route you are welcome to take the pole position. The only problem you will
have with me is not catching up but in getting me to stop :-) I have a CB and
cell phone so if anybody else is so equipped we can team up for group
coordination.
Without permission I have replicated the TriDoD protocols
(and other words of wisdom) here from their web page at
http://www.tridod.org/ufaq/index.html#BIKER
BRUNCH (BB):
Group Riding Protocol: Often our TriDoD BB rides can
draw 10-15 bikes (sometimes more...sometimes less). With that size of a group,
some minimal protocol is necessary for safety. Please observe the following:
- MSF-style staggered formation when riding close, such as in town; shift to
two-abreast at stop lights, etc.. Spread out if you want in the countryside.
- Lead, follow, or getTF out of the way... keep in order unless the rider in
front of you waves you by.
- You are responsible for the (one) rider *BEHIND* you -- at each
intersection/turn in the route, signal and *MAKE SURE* the rider behind
you makes the correct turn. Be prepared to *wait* in case they are held up
behind you.
- If you're dropping out of the group, make sure the rider in front and behind
you know you're splitting off.
- Be careful at intersections, none of us run red lights (the guy in front of
you will wait for you at the next turn).
- If you don't have 80 miles of fuel left in your tank at a fuelstop, FILL IT
UP NOW!
- Ride within your *own* limits.
- Be considerate: if you ride a Laverda Montjuic, ride at the back or bring
earplugs for the folks behind you... ;-)
Inexperienced riders:
- YOU WILL *NOT* HOLD US UP!!! Get that out of your mind right away... we do
not resent novice riders and will always wait for you.
- Be prepared to accept constructive criticism and
comments.
SOME THOUGHTS ON GROUP RIDING
By Martyn
Wheeler
Lowlands Riding Style:This is where the group stays
together in formation, travelling at the pace of the slowest rider. Sort of like
a HOG ride but with no pressure to "keep up." I'll lead one like this at BB's
now and then when requested, or if we have a lot of new
riders.
Highlands Riding Style:In the "Highlands" paradigm,
under which most BB groups operate, the opposite is true. Riders should end up
in order of their speed -- on that day, not in order of speed capability -- with
the fastest at the front and the slowest at the rear.
Beware of the
bungie effect. If the front rider maintains a constant 55 mph, there will be
some point at which the last rider would have to exceed 100mph to "catch up."
Paradoxically, if that last rider also maintained a constant 55mph, there would
be no need to "catch up."
The bungie effect simply means that as riders
maintain a constant *time* difference, the *distance* difference fluctuates
according to speed. This is a *major* factor in perception of how "close" a
group is riding.
Add to that effects of stop signs, traffic lights, and
traffic, and the time difference fluctuates too.
All that means that
no-one can in practice "catch up", and that there is no point in doing so. If
you get left behind, be assured that at the next turn you will catch up with the
rider in front of you. Also, group leaders will (should) halt every now and then
to gather the group back together.
Group dynamics of the Highlands style
means that riders tend to clump in sub-groups depending on speed. If you're a
new rider or just want to ride *with* someone, announce it and there will be
someone to ride with you.
"Ride your own ride" means never having to
catch up. It also means no-one will be resented for "slowing the group
down".
GET THIS THROUGH YOUR THICK HEADS!!!
RIDE AT YOUR *OWN*
PACE...
DO *NOT* ATTEMPT TO CATCH UP...
DO *NOT* BE EMBARRASSED AT YOUR
SPEED.
(lowers voice again)
The next few paragraphs have nothing to do
with arrogance or macho posturing, although they will certainly sound that way.
Those who know me will realize that. They are merely fact:
Speed on BB is
not a macho contest. It means *nothing*. I can lap VIR faster on my Guzzi
California cruiser than some riders on a CBR929RR, VFR, or similar sportbike. If
I choose to do so, I can leave most BB groups way behind at the first sequence
of corners, no matter what bike I'm riding. Same goes for a number of other
guys. And if you notice, those folks are the same ones who *don't* usually go
hurtling around the countryside, especially on BB rides. In fact, if I'm leading
you'll see me usually slow down on the straights to let the group gather back
together some.
None of the fast guys have ever ridden faster than
"moderate" on a BB ride. (OK, I did do one or two "moderate to quick" rides a
year or few ago, but nothing even remotely approaching "fast".) Most BB riders
have no concept of what "fast" means. Here's a clue: it has nothing to do with
straight line speed, or who you can "keep up with."
Here's a big secret
about the TriDoD...why it sometimes seems to be so little understood is beyond
me:
You cannot gain respect or TriDoD clique status by going fast on BB
rides. You do so by riding within your own limits, respecting other riders,
being a polite group rider, helping less experienced riders along (a vital
TriDoD tradition), and most of all by displaying a genuine and mature enthusiasm
about riding, no matter how, where, what
-- or even *if* -- you currently
ride.
The Ten Commandments of Group Riding
By Dustin Kassman, MSF
Instructor
Arrive at a group ride ready to ride. This means with a
full tank of gas, appropriate clothing for the weather, well-rested and fed, and
a bike in safe operating condition. Riding is no fun if you are too hot or too
cold, and your friends would rather ride than wrench on your bike or get gas for
you.
Make sure everyone is aware of the proposed route and extended stops
(such as lunch, fuel, and sightseeing stops). It is always a good idea to
prepare a map of the route with these stops indicated.
The ride is
self-paced, ride at a speed you feel comfortable with. No one should feel
pressure to keep up with anyone else. In particular, no one will object to you
riding as slowly as you wish. It is natural for people to feel they need to keep
up with the rider ahead, however, riding outside their limits is the main reason
riders get hurt! It is not the point of this ride to have someone get
hurt.
Ride in a staggered formation, with a minimum of two seconds
between you and the rider directly in front of you. This allows you to use the
entire lane to ride in and gives you an extra margin of safety.
Ride your
ride, not the rider's in front of you. Make sure you keep looking down the road
and through the corners, not at the bike ahead of you. Set your own pace and
choose your own lines through the corners.
A group of motorcycles is not
considered a "single vehicle!". Be courteous and allow cars to enter/exit a
highway or change lanes. Make sure you let the riders behind you know what is
going on (this also applies to other hazards, as well).
At least one of
the riders ahead of you (if any) will wait at every point where you might make a
wrong turn.
Similarly, you are expected to wait at intersections and
other decision points until the person behind you (if any) shows up.
Plan
brief stops throughout the ride to let everyone regroup, make sure everyone is
present, check gas supplies, and to allow for rests.
If you decide to
split off from the ride, make a reasonable attempt to alert the entire group to
your departure; if regrouping does not happen soon enough for you, you must let
at least one other person know you are leaving.
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