All riders, members and visitors are required to adhere to these guidelines if they wish to ride with our club.
Plan to meet on time
Plan to arrive at the meeting spot approximately 30 minutes before the scheduled departure time. This will allow time for greetings,
signing on, and listening to the lead RIDERS BRIEFING etc.
Be prepared – fill up
Arrive at the meeting spot with a full tank of fuel. During the course of the ride, the Ride Leader will have regularly planned fuel
stops to accommodate all sizes of bikes. So, top up at the planned fuel stops. It makes for a far more efficient ride.
Listen to the brief
Pay attention to the Rider’s Briefing given by the Ride Leader. In the unlikely event you are separated from the group, you will at
least have some idea on how and where to rejoin. The brief usually outlines the ride route, fuel stops and any possible hazards.
So please listen carefully..
Mark the corners
Follow the Corner Marking System.
There is a Lead Rider and a Tail Rider, easily identified by the Club’s fluro vests. When the Leader comes to an intersection at
which they are deviating from straight ahead, or if there is any likelihood of confusion, the Leader will point to the side of
the road indicating that the corner must be "marked". These "corner markers" should be visible to the following
bikes and should
indicate the direction to be taken as the others approach. The Tail Rider will use their own bikes indicator once they have sighted
you, be alert and move off safely in front of them, do not expect the Tail Rider to have to come to a stop and wait for you.
Next corner, we do it all over again and again and again....
You NEVER leave the corner until the Tail Rider arrives. The Tail Rider NEVER passes anyone unless someone is traveling below
the posted speed limit for no reason and making it very difficult for everyone to stay together. If you have somehow still managed
to stuff up you will eventually come to a corner. If no-one is waiting, you should be suspicious.
STOP YOUR BIKE AND WAIT.
If you intend to leave the ride early at any point you must let the Tail Rider know.
Keep your eyes open and gear on
Keep an eye on the ride leader, if they are preparing to go, then so should you. When the group pulls over
DO NOT GET OFF AND LIGHT UP A CIGGY or take off any gear. Be guided by the lead rider - if he stays on the bike,
helmet and gloves on, do the same. It usually means that we’ll be continuing very shortly.
Allow a safe distance
Allow a safe distance between yourself and other riders. Riding in a staggered position, left and right side of a lane, increases
visibility and rider distance and this also helps the lead and tail rider occasionally being able to catch sight of each other and
therefore not needing to leave a corner marker when the group is traveling close together. Try and stay put in part of the lane,
it will save having to shuffle around unnecessarily.
Ride at your own speed and ability
It is a ride not a race. Check your mirrors if someone catches up to you in the twisties, don't race them on the straight or
accelerate hard when they move to overtake you. Back off and try to let them past safely. If they caught up to you, it means they
are riding faster than you, so allow them to overtake you safely.
Do not be tempted to ride beyond your ability – you will become a hazard to the group as well as yourself. Be patient,
ride safely and arrive home happy.
Is this your first time on a MPMC ride?
For new members on your first ride - the easiest place to start the ride is towards the back of the pack, regardless of how good a
rider you may think you are. You most likely will have no idea of what people are doing or how fast they are capable of going, so
this will save you from getting into a sticky situation. If you are comfortably keeping up, you can slowly move through the pack
until you find a comfortable pace, this will be a good place to stay. Pay attention and learn from what other riders around you
are doing. It takes time to build up trust from other riders within the club, but if you start off on the wrong foot it will
take a lot longer.
