Rider dropped, lost

[davegreymont]

Last night I was the leader of the Easy Rider group which means I follow behind the group to assure no one is dropped from the group or I’ll catch up to assist anyone who has mechanical problems. We had 9 riders, some stronger, and some not as strong, so we got spread out over quite a distance as we rode. We stopped and grouped up several times.

On highway 16 from Simpson towards the airport one rider (way out in front of me) missed the left turn to the airport and instead continued to the right and headed back north towards Rochester by herself on unfamiliar roads and was lost. Just past the airport one rider was waiting for the rest of us and he said the remainder of the women had gone to find a restroom so I never realized we were short one rider. We rode back into Rochester and met up with the “lost” rider at Bicycle Sports and heard her story.

Anyway, THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN. Riders have a certain amount of personal responsibility to stay with the group and to know the route. However (and I’m as guilty of this as anyone) if there are several riders that want to form their own group and ride at a different pace, that is fine. But, they need to do at least two things. First, inform the group leader, and second, either have someone step up as a leader for the newly formed group, or collectively make sure no one is dropped.

I think the reason this happened last night is because people were riding as individuals instead of as a group. Since we were spread out so far, nobody noticed the rider that missed the turn.

This was unfortunate and I'm sure not a good riding experience for the "lost" rider.

Dave G.

[Warren Lopour]

Dave, thanks for you thoughtful analysis. And yes, I totally agree. I also had a couple of riders take off ahead of the rest a few weeks ago -- they also missed a crucial turn (my fault, I thought they knew the way). They weren't "lost" for very long, but it did take away time from the entire group to get back together. Some lessons to be learned, good for everyone, but especially for our Easy Riders:

1. Always stay together. Since the Easy Rider leader is typically at the back, the leader is counting on you to get to the next regrouping stop and wait there. This is typically at the next turn, but could also be at the top of a long climb.

2. Do you know where you are going? Are you sure the person in front of you knows the way? If not, ask. The fact that maps are posted for each ride is a big help -- it is a good idea to print them out and have them along. In general, there is not enough "in town" detail, but we also presume that you could find your way around once you are back in the city. If you are unsure, just stop and wait for the ride leader to catch back up with you. Just a hint, you can make the maps as big or small as you like by doing a right click on the map, select "copy", then open up Microsoft Word (or similar program) and click "paste". Once it is there, you can drag the lower right corner to make it any size you like.

3. Be afraid of getting lost. By that I mean, please realize that at times we can get quite a ways out of town -- you are in unfamiliar territory! A little bit of fear is what will give you the courage to ask. For example, do you understand where the next regrouping will happen, and how to get there? If not ask.

4. If you are at the fastest of the Easy Riders, do not go past the next regrouping stop (even if it is near the end of the ride). As Dave mentioned, the Easy Riders tend to get quite spread out, especially as the season progresses. The leader should be taking a count at every stop. If someone is missing it is a BIG problem. The leader can't take off to find the missing person and leave the rest of the group.

5. Especially with the Easy Riders, as the folks become more experienced they tend to go faster. I rode with the group a few weeks ago (along with assigned leader running sweep), and there were clearly riders capable of sustaining 13 to 14 mph. There is nothing wrong with that. However, if you're going that fast, it could be a long wait for you at each regroup stop. In that case, wait for the ride leader to show up and let him/her know that you will be breaking off from the rest of the group (either by yourself, or preferably with at least 1 or 2 other riders).

6. If you intend to go faster than Easy Riders (average over 13.5 mph), you don't have to go with the Easy Riders -- form your own group! I just started up a 14-16 group, and so far we're averaging between 15 and 16 mph for the fastest folks. But, I'm finding out we don't always agree on the distance. Again, we can always break into more groups. NOTE: There is only an assigned leader for the Easy Riders. In all the other groups, the "leader" essentially volunteers the night of the ride. So, if you want to do one of the longer routes at 13-14 mph, thats OK, there may be others that want to join you. Just be prepared to be the leader. Do you know the way? Do you have a map? If you have questions about the route, just ask one of the more experienced riders.

7. Some of the ride leaders are more conscientious than others about counting noses at the end of the ride. For example, the faster people may have already left for home. Also, many folks don't go back to the starting point but may take off for home without returning to the start. As a courtesy, if you are not going to the starting point, let someone in the group know so he/she can inform the ride leader, if asked.

If the person that got lost reads this posting, I sure would be interested to hear your side of the story.

[Iowegian]

It just makes good sense for any rider in any group to have a map. If you don't have a map stick with a group or person that does have a map and bring a map with you the next time you ride. Like Jim Suk says, "think about it".