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.