I went on a ride this past Saturday with the moto group. It went well except for a bit of confusion in the beginning. The group sponsor who also happened to plan the ride sort of pissed me off. He took off and left the group behind.
The ride was supposed to be a short but scenic one thru and around the City. There were about 8 or 9 of us to start. We started at Gayway [1]Safeway on Market and headed out for Ocean beach via Golden gate park. Now, in a group this large, it is easy to get caught up w/traffic, lights, stop signs, etc. We hadn’t even made it to the park before our host was completely out of sight. We stopped and texted him to see if he was pulled over somewhere waiting for us. We didn’t hear anything so headed for the first official stopping point, which was Ocean beach. We texted again from the beach and he was already over the Golden Gate bridge! I don’t care how good of a teacher or rider he is, that was just rude.
I kept my temper in check as I am still a bit of a n00b to the group. However, several other guys were obviously annoyed and two even abandoned the ride out of frustration. The remaining 6 of us ended up driving down Hwy 1 South. [2]One of my favorite rides The ride was a bit windy but the sun was out and it was beautiful driving down the coastline. We stopped for lunch at Alice’s [3]a local biker hotspot in Woodside before heading back. Round trip, it was about 150 miles.
Today was the first day I took the lead with the group. Normally, I stay to the rear as I don’t know all the routes that well yet. Anyway, I set a brisk pace w/o leaving anyone behind. The guys seemed to like the fact I was a little aggressive w/o being reckless.
On a side note, I sort of use the group rides to test how far along my skills have developed. I’m doing pretty good overall I think. I’m by no means an expert rider yet but I’m getting there. And even though the accident in August was in no way my fault, I still found myself being overly timid on curves. That seems to have passed thankfully. It might of had something to do with the fact this particular route is very familiar to me. The strip from Hwy 1 off the coast along Hwy 84 is a motorcyclist’s dream come true. It has a little bit of everything; open runs, windy roads, and a variety of curves.
It was great riding with you on Saturday, anytime you want to ride just let me know. Besides, I owe you dinner!!! Also, could you send me a copy of the group picture?
There's nothing like a long, good ride whether you're the driver or passenger. Oh wait, you're talking about motorcycling aren't you? Sorry – my bad.
Actually, that's the next thing on my to do list: Get my motorcycle license. I need to pare down my "shoulda-coulda-woulda" list before I hit 50!
He may be a good teacher or rider, but not good ride leader. Inevitably groups break up, especially in urban areas or along skill levels. Having set 'check in' spots is good, but the fast boys get antsy waiting for the slow ones to arrive. I'm glad you decided to let him go off and do his thing and you kept an even keel, rode at your pace and with consideration for the others in the group.
In a group everyone should be keeping an eye out for each other just in case the bad things happen. From the leader all the way back to the sweep.