Cyclerides.com Weekly
Update
3/7/12
Greetings Riders,
If you missed the newsletter last week including my preview of
Arizona Bike Week,
Click Here to
read.
We are now well into March and only 16 days away from the
pre-rally days of
Arizona Bike Week.
March and April also present some of the best riding weather that
we have in Arizona. Along with good riding weather is an opportunity to get out
with our riding friends we haven’t seen on the bikes for a while, and do what we
like to do the best, take a ride and enjoy the great scenery that Arizona has to
offer. Unfortunately, when you start getting your groups together to take that
relaxing day ride, it can sometimes turn out to be more like herding chickens,
unless you are all on the same page with the same purpose in mind, to maximize
your riding day by “turning minutes into miles”.
There is never an easy way to make sure that everyone is on the
same page ahead of time without looking like the dreaded “ride nazi”, and it can sometimes be uncomfortable to address those that are slowing
down the group in the middle of a road trip. So a couple of years ago, I wrote
an article called “Group Riding Etiquette 101”. Another title could be “Group
Riding for Dummies” – Tips for being a considerate group rider. Please feel free
to print this out, cut and paste or forward this to your group prior to your
ride, it might help to bring some of these points up before your trip. Or you
can just remind them what was in this article and blame it on me. It is
something that we should all read at the beginning of each riding season to make
sure that we respect others time and are not the problem child.
If you reprint in your own club newsletter, please give
Cyclerides.com editorial credit.
Group Riding Etiquette
101:
“Group Riding for Dummies” – Tips for being a considerate group
rider
As we all know, group rides
are fun and a good way to spend some time with your friends, HOWEVER. . . when you start getting your groups together to take that relaxing day
ride, it can sometimes turn out to be more like herding chickens unless you are
all on the same page with the same purpose in mind, to maximize your riding day
by “turning minutes into miles”. I'm sure some of you
already know what I mean. As with any group activity you do, everyone needs to
work together as a team to make it flow
smoothly.
Let me set up a
scenario. Imagine you are on a football team, the
15 minute halftime has ended and your team has the ball to start the second
half. The team takes the field and is ready for the play, but all of a sudden 2
or 3 of your teammates decide they need to go to the bathroom, take a smoke
break, gas up or get something to drink, all when the play was about to begin.
This would most likely cause the team to not be efficient in playing the game
and slow the progress down the field. After a move like that, you would
probably not be very excited about having them on the team and might not invite
them to play the next game.
The same analogy works for riding in
groups with other motorcycles. All riders in the group, whether riding
the bike or a passenger need to be on the same page to make the day trip
desirable for all. I realize that there are many different riding styles, but
that will work itself out. Those in the group with similar riding preferences
will eventually pair up for future rides. What I am referring to are some basic
considerations that will make the whole outing flow much better. Here are a few
examples of how you can help out the team.
Group Leader: Every group of more than 3-4 bikes
should have an understanding who is going to be leading the group when planning
a ride. This person is not the designated "ride nazi" but is merely responsible for keeping
the group moving and on schedule, particularly if you are on a longer ride and
are trying to reach a destination by a certain time. He is also responsible for
letting everyone else in the group know the route that you are taking so that if
someone needs to drop off for some reason, they will know where you are going
and how to get there.
Punctuality: This is a big one with group riding and
is a basic courtesy no matter what activity you are involved
with. I've been in a group where the start
time was 8:00am and the last straggler shows up at 8:50am. If you are one of
those people that "move kind of slow in the morning" then DON'T PLAN A MORNING ACTIVITY THAT WILL
REQUIRE YOU TO COMMIT TO AN EARLIER TIME THAN YOU ARE CAPABLE OF
MEETING! Hangovers, Partying Late, Not Enough
Sleep, or general Lack of Energy are not good excuses. Being on time for a ride
trumps all of those excuses. If the ride is important to you, then plan your
prior evening to make it desirable to get out of bed, meet your obligations and
take a ride that will make you forget about everything
else.
Having the rest of the group wait well
past the start time will not endear you to the group, is not respectful of their time and is
not a good way to start a ride. If you encounter an unavoidable delay, make sure
that you call someone in the group to let them know that you will not be on time
and when you could be expected to arrive. At this point the group has the option
to wait a reasonable amount of time or you can catch up with them at the first
stop. Otherwise, just make it a point to show up on time.
Be Ready To Go: When you show up at the agreed upon
start location at the agreed upon time, be ready to go. HAVE A FULL TANK OF GAS, A FULL STOMACH
AND AN EMPTY BLADDER. I have been in several groups where it
is the start time, we are all saddled up and ready to go and someone announces
that they are on reserve and will need to stop at a gas station to fill up. Not
cool or fair to the rest of the group that filled up on the way
TO the start location. One of your
responsibilities of being "on time" includes being ready to ride with at least
enough gas to make it to the first stop.
Food: If you suffer from low blood sugar from
not eating every hour, then take some crackers or something with you to tide you
over to the scheduled lunch stop. Don't stand around talking and then when
it is time to take off, announce that "you have to put some food in your
stomach" before you go. Take care of these things as transparent as possible
without slowing up the whole group.
Bathroom Stops: This is a big one in group riding. If
you have 10 people in your group, you are going to have 10 different needs for
bathroom breaks. This will usually send the group over
the edge faster than anything when you have taken a rest stop for 45 minutes,
and then everyone is on their bikes and ready to leave and someone
says, "OH, I HAVE TO TAKE A POTTY
BREAK". That is the last thing the rest of the
group wants to wait for. If you have an active bladder, "pee planning" falls on your
shoulders, the group leader cannot do this for you.
If you know that you have to go every hour, make that a priority as soon as you
stop and then again BEFORE departure time. The group leader will let you know
plenty of time in advance of when you are leaving. Don't hold up the rest of the
group while they wait for you to relieve yourself.
Gearing Up: When the ride leader announces that you
will be rolling in 10 minutes, this is your cue to take care of all of your
personal needs of bathroom, food, drink and putting on your riding
gear. Especially if there is a lot of layering
going on and the need to put on and take of clothing at stops. So you need to be
cognizant of how long it takes you to put on your jacket, helmet, gloves,
glasses, ear plugs, MP3 player, sunscreen and unwrap your lollipop or gum for
the ride. It seems like in every group I've ever been in, when everyone else is
on their bikes, with motors running, ready to roll, there is always one last
person zipping up a jacket or putting on gloves, and we are setting there
staring at them. Don't ALWAYS be the one everyone is
waiting for. Spread it around.
Visiting with others in your group at
stops. This is why we take these group rides,
to enjoy the company of our friends while we all enjoy our passion of riding.
But where the problem comes in is that we tend to talk about the last 100 miles
before we take care of what we need to do at the stop. A good suggestion is to get
your gas, drinks, bathroom breaks out of the way, then visit with your
buddies. After the
conversation is over, you are all ready to roll.
Riding Style: This is a problem in some
groups. Usually when you ride with a group you
are pretty similar in riding styles, that's why you ride together. But
occasionally there will be a new person that will join the group that just
"doesn't feel comfortable enough to keep up the pace". That is fine, we would
never ask anyone to compromise the way that they ride just to keep up with the
group. That is not safe or fair. But, it is also not fair to slow down a group
that likes to ride the speed limits and take away their style. What do you do? If you don't feel comfortable at
certain speeds, make sure you find out from your ride leader the directions to
the next stop, take your time and ride at your own pace, they will understand.
But don't expect the rest of the group to adapt to your style. The fun part of
riding is enjoying the
pace at which you like to
ride.
Conclusion: I know a lot of you reading this right
now are shaking your head in agreement saying, "we've got one or two of those in
our group". We all have. But there are some people
that don't realize they are doing these things, and then there are some that
don't care. The ones that "don't care", don't get a call the next time a ride
comes along. The ones that "don't realize", you can forward this letter to
them.
I don't want this to sound like going on
group rides with friends is supposed to be equivalent to a military maneuver. It
is not by any means, and if it was, I wouldn't do it. It is supposed to be fun, relaxing and a
way to see the country in the best way possible, from the seat of a motorcycle
and share it with friends. We have all been guilty of one of more of these
nuances along the way. I know I have. The bottom line is, that we all need to
consider if we are a consistent violator of any of these points above, find a
way to improve on them and to respect the time of our
friends.
Time is something that is hard to
come by these days and we want to use it wisely. Going on these types of day rides are
usually the only window of riding some of us have for the entire week or
possibly the month, and making this time the most enjoyable possible should be
very important to all of us. So if we could put the "It's all about
ME" aside for the group and show up on time, full of gas, food,
water and low on excess bodily fluids at every stop, the group riding world
would be a better place. Pass this around to your riding
buddies.
Tidbits and Updates:
Mark your Calendar! This is going to be a big
one.
Cyclerides.com
Westgate Bike Night
On
Thursday, March 29th, I will be starting up The
Cyclerides.com Westgate Bike
Night. For the first night we will be cross marketing with the
Phoenix Coyotes on game night. There will be ticket specials of $20 per ticket
($40 face value) for the Coyote Game that night. We will have vendors, live
music, food and drink specials and lots of bikes and fun. This will mark the
beginning of the Cyclerides.com Westgate Bike Night that will run every
Thursday night from 5-9 PM until June 28th, 14 nights in all. Put it on
your calendar. This should be a huge kick off for bike night. Click Here for the
flyer to print off for your
office.
Next Week
March 5th – March 31st
Chandler
Harley-Davidson Roll to Bike Week in Style. Are you looking to spiff up your
bike for Bike Week?
Time to add a little bling to separate it from
the crowd? This year roll to bike week in style with a new set of Performance
Machine Wheels! And it gets even better. Buy a set of Performance Machine Wheels
and get the matching air filter for FREE! A $440 value!* See flyer for details.
Chandler is located at 6895 W. Chandler Blvd. in Chandler, AZ. 480-496-6800.
Thursday, March 8th
Arrowhead
Harley-Davidson Women’s Garage Party. Do you know a woman interested in
learning about motorcycles?
She can learn more about the sport of
riding at our women-only Garage Party. This is a FREE EVENT from 6 – 8:30 PM
that offers fun, beginner information for women with limited – or even no –
background with motorcycles. Forward this invitation to your female friend and
tell her to join us for one night of fun workshops and festive activities during
this event geared toward women who dream of riding, but just aren’t sure how to
get started on their motorcycle journey. You must RSVP for this event. There is
limited space. So gather your friends and get signed up today! For more
information or to register, email chdmarketing@ridenow.com or call 480-496-6800.
Arrowhead Harley-Davidson is located at 16130 N. Arrowhead Ftn. Ctr. Dr. in
Peoria, AZ.
Saturday, March 10th
Chief Bill
Lanford Memorial Ride. Honoring our Fallen Firefighter Brother William D.
“Bill” Lanford
was the Chief of Buckeye Valley Fire until he was
tragically killed while riding his Harley on Vulture Mine Road on February 6th
2003. Please join the many brother and sister Firefighters, Law Enforcement
Officers and all of his friends and family in honoring Chief Lanford on this
memorial ride. Everyone is welcome – Any Scooter, Hot Rod, or Apparatus, Ride
it, Drive it, Push it, or Pull it – Just come and make this a huge, memorable
event. Check-in at 8:00 A.M. – Ride Starts at 10:00 A.M. at Station 324: 25206
W. MC 85 Buckeye Az. 85326. $20.00 Single rider, $25.00 Couple. Escorted, 100
mile ride, including a stop at Bill’s roadside memorial on Vulture Mine Rd.
Everyone Welcome to the After Ride Party. If any questions please contact Jason
at jjessamine@local4371.org or
480-734-3778.
Saturday, March 10th
Run for the
Gold. Benefitting Florence Crittenton a non profit organization
that has served Arizona's girls and their family for over a Century.
Entry fee is 20.00 per rider, $10.00 per passenger. Registration begins at 8 am
at Skunk Motorsports in Mesa with the first 125 participants receiving ride bags
and pins. Pre-registration: http://www.sites.google.com/site/ddcharities/ or
day of at Skunk Motorsports. This ride takes you across the Valley of the Sun to
some of our favorite biker stops and ends at Chester's Harley Davidson where
there will be prizes for best/worst hand, a live band, food and
raffles.
Saturday, March 10th
Ride 4 Change.
All proceeds benefit: Will2Walk Foundation.
5 Stops, 5 Cards, Best
hand wins. Check-In 9 AM at Harley-Davidson of Scottsdale located at 15600 N.
Hayden Rd. in Scottsdale, AZ. First Bike Out at 9:30 AM, Last bike out 10:30 AM.
Last bike back at 4 PM. Register online at www.will2walk.org.
Saturday, March 10th
Colon All
Angels. "Ride a Bike, Save a Butt". This ride benefits the Colon Cancer
Alliance Blue Note Fund.
Ride begins at Chester's Harley-Davidson
located at 922 S. Country Club Dr. in Mesa, AZ. Registration from 10:30 AM. KSU
at Noon. $25 Single/$15 Passenger. Ride donations include a ride pin to all
riders and dinner at the River Bottom Grill in Florence. Ride, Friends, Food and
Music. Best hand wins $200. More information at www.colonallangels.webs.com .
Next Week
March 5th – March 31st
Chandler
Harley-Davidson Roll to Bike Week in Style. Are you looking to spiff up your
bike for Bike Week?
Time to add a little bling to separate it from
the crowd? This year roll to bike week in style with a new set of Performance
Machine Wheels! And it gets even better. Buy a set of Performance Machine Wheels
and get the matching air filter for FREE! A $440 value!* See flyer for details.
Chandler is located at 6895 W. Chandler Blvd. in Chandler, AZ.
480-496-6800.
Saturday, March 17th
Arizona
Burn Center Chili Cook Off. This CASI Sanctioned Chili Cook Off is hosted
by: Arrowhead Harley-Davidson.
We will be offering trophies for
many People’s Choice Categories as well as best decorated chili booth/team! Best
Green Chili, Mystery Celebrity Judges, Raffle Prizes. All proceeds benefit the
Arizona Burn Center. People’s Choice Chili starting at 11 AM. CASI Competition
Red Chili Turn-In at 2 PM. For chili information contact Jerry Lee at
623-388-9748 or alchemistchili@gmail.com . Arizona Burn Center
contact Paula Walker at 602-344-5624.
Saturday, March 17th
Buddy
Stubbs Anthem Hogs & Dogs. Swing up to Buddy Stubbs Anthem
Harley-Davidson on Saturday, March 17th
from 11AM to 2PM and be a
little Irish! It's a St. Patrick's Day Hogs & Dogs at Anthem H-D and we're
encouraging you to strut in GREEN! There will be FREE food and drinks as well as
wear green and get a chance to pop a balloon for prizes and other specials
(while supplies last). Also, in the spirit of St. Patty’s Day save 15% on any
casual outer wear in MotorClothes with green on it! Buddy Stubbs Anthem
Harley-Davidson is located at 41715 N. 41st Drive, Anthem AZ 85086, or on the
web at www.anthemhd.com. For more information you may e-mail
marketing@buddystubbs.com or call (623) 465-1122.
Saturday and Sunday,
March 17th & 18th
Chandler
Harley-Davidson Demo Event. This is your chance to ride the brand new 2012
Harley-Davidson of your choice.
The Harley-Davidson factory demo
truck will be at Chandler Harley-Davidson from 9am - 4pm on March 17th and 18th
to let you experience the ride you have been dreaming about. It is always fun to
see how the bike that you don't have would ride. There will be Food vendors on
site both days! Must have a valid motorcycle license and be at least 21 years of
age. Chandler Harley-Davidson is located at 6895 W. Chandler Blvd. in Chandler,
AZ. 480-496-6800.
Saturday, March 17th
Ride for Baby
Mateo. Cory Donaldson, Dave Six and Tammy Woods will be hosting a ride for
Baby Mateo who was prematurely born on 12/22/11 at 24 weeks and 5 days.
Mateo, who is still in ICU has doubled his weight from 2 to 4 pounds so
he finally gets to wear clothes now. This little man is scheduled to be in the
hospital until April before he can go home with his mom, Liz Alvarez-Gallagher
from Cave Creek. All proceeds will go towards months of hospital bills for his
intensive care stay at Banner Thunderbird Medical Center. Let's welcome this
young man to the world the biker way with a motorcycle ride and raffle to help
him and his mom. 10AM - Noon Registration begins at the Dirty Dogg with a
continental breakfast and Bloody Mary drink specials. Noon - 4PM Kickstands up
at noon for a leisurely ride to the Hideaway Grill in Cave Creek for the raffle.
Rider fee $10.00. Raffle tickets $1.00 each or 6 for $5.00. Raffle items
include hats, shirts, mugs, ladies wear, gift cards and any other items you
would like to donate for the cause. (Gifts may be taken to Hideaway in advance
for the raffle.) T-Shirts will be available for a small donation. Info email
davesix@hotmail.com.
March 18th-31st
Arrowhead
Harley-Davidson Pre-Bike Week Service Special. Need a few things done to get
your bike ready for Bike Week? Take advantage of Arrowhead Harley-Davidson’s
Pre-Bike Week Service Special. Get 10% OFF of any Service.
This
offer is valid March 18th through March 31st, 2012 only at Arrowhead
Harley-Davidson. Service must be scheduled before March 31st, 2012. Call
Arrowhead HD for details at 623-247-5542. AHD is located at 16130 N. Arrowhead
Ftn. Ctr. Dr. in Peoria, AZ.
Upcoming Events
Friday – Sunday
March 23rd – 25th
2012 is Bigger and Better than ever! Chester’s Harley-Davidson Backstage
Biker Bash VI roars to life with a FREE concert by Whiskey 6 on the
main stage at Chester’s Harley-Davidson. Chester’s kicks off Bike Week with 3
days of Great Concert Performances, Vendors, Charity Benefit Rides, Food, Adult
Beverages, Builders, Live Entertainment, Contests, Give-a-Ways, Raffles, and a
mouth watering Kansas City BBQ State Championship Competition sanctioned by the
Kansas City BBQ Society. All of this and more at the Chester’s Harley-Davidson®
Backstage Biker Bash Weekend Experience. See you here!
Friday, March 23rd - Backstage Biker Bash at
Chester’s Harley-Davidson featuring Whiskey 6 and Lynch Mob. 5-11 PM. Free
Admission.
Saturday, March 24th - Backstage Biker Bash at
Chester’s Harley-Davidson featuring Molly Hatchet & Blackfoot. 11 AM – 11
PM. $15 Admission.
Sunday, March 25th - Backstage Biker Bash at
Chester’s Harley-Davidson featuring Jimmie Van Zant Band. 11 AM – 5 PM. $10
Admission.
Chester’s Harley-Davidson is located at 922 S Country Club Dr. in
Mesa.
Sunday, March 25th
Harley-Davidson
of Scottsdale “Sunshine Blast Off Party” featuring Bret Michaels. A party by
Bob Parsons needs little explanation other than DON'T MISS IT!
Party starts at 1 PM and rocks on until 9 PM. You won’t want to miss the
FREE concert by Bret Michaels performing live at 7 PM. DJ shows start at 1 PM.
Adult beverages, Go AZ Girls, Live Music throughout the day with Crown Kings at
4 PM. Worldwide Extreme Motorsports Brigade FMX Motorcycle Stunt Jumpers 2
PM. One show every hour for 4 shows. Food, Fun and a chance to check out the
construction and development of a whole new motorcycle destination in
Scottsdale, including a 2.5 acre training, demonstration and event center that
will be one of a kind! Bring your biker friends, plenty of bike parking!
Donations will be made to: Wounded Warriors & Families of Officers who have
Fallen in the Line of Duty. This all takes place at the new Harley-Davidson of
Scottsdale located at 15600 N. Hayden Rd. in Scottsdale, AZ.
March 28th – April 1st
Arizona Bike Week. We hope you've all
had an opportunity to either check out our website azbikeweek.com or pick up a
copy of the Guide to Ride or both. But just in case, here's a quick overview of
what's in store for you at this year's Cyclefest:
Nightly concerts in the HandleBar Saloon
featuring:
* Quiet Riot
* Puddle of Mudd - Presented by Paul Yaffe's Bagger
Nation
* REO Speedwagon - Presented by Buddy Stubbs Arizona
Harley-Davidson
* Tesla - Presented by Harley-Davidson of
Scottsdale
* TNT
Other activities include:
Sons of Anarchy - cast member special appearance, presented by
Arrowhead Harley-Davidson
Live music all day and into the night on the Jagermeister
mobile concert stage
Daily Happy Hour in the HandleBar Saloon
The Miss Arizona Bike Week Pageant
Harley stunt riders and Kawasaki tandem stunt riders
More vendors, builders and manufacturers than ever
before
Daily demo rides offered by: Harley-Davidson, Kawasaki,
Suzuki, Yamaha/Star, Victory and Can-Am
Dave Perewitz will be receiving our "Tribute to Excellence"
award
Buddy Stubbs will be receiving our "Arizona Bike Week
Hero" award
"Baddest Bagger" Bike Show - Presented by Bagger Nation and
American Bagger Magazine
Bike Games
Paul Yaffe's Bash
Crusaders for the Children - Silent/Live Auction
The always popular "Jager Games"- Presented by Jagermeister
The World Famous Saturday Night Contest - Presented by
Christie's Cabaret
All this and so much more included in your admission to
Cyclefest!!!
Extras
Mid Week Updates will be made on the Cyclerides.com
Facebook. New Easy to remember
Facebook address. Go to Cyclerides.com Facebook. Over
3700 FANS! Take a look at
all the new photos posted on the wall. If you are not on Facebook, you can still view the
page, but
you will not be able to post. There will be a link there for you to sign up for
Facebook if you are inclined. Click the LIKE button!
Trask 2012 New Year Performance Special.
Thinking of new pipes, intake, cams or all of the above? Start your new
year off right, come into Trask Performances premier dyno tuning center January
1st - 31st for a FREE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION (normally a $75
value). Our tuning experts will help you make your bike run the way you want it
to. Arizona's premier performance and service center, Trask
Performance! Located at 21601
N. 3rd Ave. in Phoenix, AZ. Call 623-879-8488 to make an appointment and Refer
to this offer from Cyclerides.com.
For those of you that like guns,
you will enjoy the firepower that this guy
displays. Click Here to
View
Not even sure what prompted this girl to learn how to do this, but she is
talented
. Click Here to
View.
Video of the Week: This video is hilarious. I’ve never seen a
dolphin be quite this tenacious, but he definitely has something on his mind.
Watch it to the end. Hilarious!
Click Here to
View. Click on the Video of the Week graphic on the
page.
If you would like to sign up for the Cyclerides.com Weekly
Update Click
Here.
Until Next Week,
Blessings and Safe Riding To
All,
Barry Caraway
"The Road Is Yours - Take The Ride"
www.cyclerides.com
All information in
this newsletter is
Copyright © 2011
BDC Products, LLC.
Information may be used only with permission.
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rights reserved.