Riding in your footsteps

[Mike O]

Monday night I had the occasion to meet a gentleman that asked if he could ride with me back to a common area we live. I'd never met him before nor seen him at our meetings, but I figured I'd oblige and don't generally concern myself with riding with strangers. After all, he appeared to be a seasoned rider. He had weathered motorcycle gear and rode a BMW that looked to have a few "miles" on it. Didn't strike me as a 'new rider' (but looks can be deceiving)

 

We pulled out of the parking lot and proceeded to the main road heading in the direction we need to travel. I lead the ride and as I'm accustomed glanced in the rear view mirror to gauge his distance, and to scan my surroundings. About a mile into the ride home, he sprinted by me right through an intersection, and quite frankly frightened me as I wasn't expecting such a maneuver. I wrote the incident off, and a 100 meters ahead he motioned for me to lead again.

 

As we're traveling, and while I try to always make the most safe maneuvers, there was an occasion where I tried to avoid a pot hole (there's a fair number here from all the snow this past season), and unwisely traveled a bit further left than I would have liked. I glanced in my rear view mirror and low and behold, my new riding acquaintance does the SAME THING.

 

As I'm riding down the road, I notice he is mimicking my every move. He's "riding in my footsteps" whether they are good or not-so-good (luckily there are far more of the former). What concerns me is that some of the maneuvers are in response to road and vehicle conditions that are quite dynamic (for example, a car has moved a bit to far left for my liking). I'm beginning to worry that any move I make may not be the best for him at that moment in time.

 

Eventually we parted way, but I've thought more about this and I'm not sure how I could have avoided this nor what I might do in the future (should it happen again).

 

What would you have done? (BTW, I tried to let him lead, but he wouldn't have any of it)

 

Mike O

[NoLongeraK1200RSRider]

Mike.. what a scary experience! I try never to ride point with someone that I have never ridden with before.. that way I can see what kind of rider they are. I wonder what his thought was on passing you at the intersection? Did he maybe not know that you would slow or?? Seems to me like that would be a good guy to avoid in the future, or at least have some conversation with him regarding his riding style, not to critique his riding, but just to attempt to understand his thinking. JMHO.

[Pete Darby]

In canoeing we used to have a saying. " Look for the person with 20 yrs experience while trying to avoid the person with six months repeated 40 times." If I find myself with a pickup tag-along I will pull off at a gas station, 7/11 etc. and let them continue on. Or if circumstance are right I may pull ahead in such a way they can't keep up in traffic. There are enough things out there to watch out for that you don't need to tie yourself to a clown.

[Woodie]

There are enough things out there to watch out for that you don't need to tie yourself to a clown.

 

I admit it, it was me...but I'm not a clown!

 

 

 

 

 

Ok, not really. But how can you tell? If you both refuse to lead, does that mean you're both members here? (Which of course means you're both excellent riders!)

[DieselDave]

If I find myself with a pickup tag-along I will pull off at a gas station, 7/11 etc. and let them continue on. Or if circumstance are right I may pull ahead in such a way they can't keep up in traffic. There are enough things out there to watch out for that you don't need to tie yourself to a clown.

Is there any sort of etiquette for being a "tag-along". I've come upon a rider or group of riders on some of my favorite back roads and followed along at a discreet distance. I wouldn't dream of rolling right up and joining them but am also concious of the danger of lagging too far behind and being overlooked by other vehicles who are fixated on the front runners.

Any suggestions/thoughts/advice?

[Calvin (no socks)]

Proper etiquette would be a Handwritten Invitation.

 

I have joined a fellow rider while on the road. I pull up even and then back off and let them lead. That way they know I am there and I settle down..... Providing the pace is acceptable. From there I can evaluate body position, and see if they mind me there. If I sense they are uneasy, inept, or lost, thats when I move on. One fellow backed off and let me pass... He didn't want to lead, or felt pressure...I led him for 100 miles and he finally split off... Invitation accepted...

[Pete Darby]

 

 

I have joined a fellow rider while on the road. I pull up even and then back off and let them lead. That way they know I am there and I settle down..... Providing the pace is acceptable. From there I can evaluate body position, and see if they mind me there. If I sense they are uneasy, inept, or lost, thats when I move on. One fellow backed off and let me pass... He didn't want to lead, or felt pressure...I led him for 100 miles and he finally split off... Invitation accepted...

 

Rereading my post I decided I sound like a misanthropic rider who only rides alone. Not true. what you said says it best for me also, when the person rides in a similar style to mine. I only don't ride with those who act like an accident looking for a location. A good example would be the guy my wife ended up following for several miles at 15MPH because he didn't know how to lean the bike in the curves. (I wish she had gotten his name and number since I suspect he wasn't going to be riding very long and I might have picked up a nice HD at a very good price.)

[AviP]

That's called an ego maniac. Looks like he's out to prove something. The solution is surprisingly simple. You should ask him to take the lead. And when he does, follow at your own pace. Works all the time when I ride with ego maniacs.

 

And while I'm a type A personality myself, I never try to prove anything to anybody but me.

[flars]

"About a mile into the ride home, he sprinted by me right through an intersection, and quite frankly frightened me as I wasn't expecting such a maneuver. I wrote the incident off, and a 100 meters ahead he motioned for me to lead again."

Are you sure he had a working clutch???

[PhillyFlash]

Mike,

There are several possibilities. One is ego-maniac, as mentioned, but it doesn't sound quite like it. After all, he asked to ride along with you and not to lead, and it didn't sound like he was doing anything much to show what a great rider he was. He could be a poor rider. Or he could be a rider who has bad night vision and doesn't want to admit it to anyone. Riding behind you and mimicking your maneuvers, he can try to avoid any road hazards that he's unable to see (he could have just been trying to follow your tail lights). He could have passed you in the intersection to be sure that he didn't get left behind if the light changed. He might be doing it for his own safety, without realizing (or being concerned about) the effect it could have on your safety.

 

If you meet up with him again, I suggest talking with him about it. Tell him what you saw and the effect it had on you. Ask him if he has a hard time seeing at night. If you like the guy and he's someone you're ok riding with, try to work out something with him. Tell him that if he gets stuck at a light, you'll pull over and wait for him. Whatever. But if you don't want to ride with him, let him know that his riding behind you makes you nervous, and you'd prefer not to lead him again.

[Mike O]

...If you meet up with him again, I suggest talking with him about it. Tell him what you saw and the effect it had on you. Ask him if he has a hard time seeing at night. If you like the guy and he's someone you're ok riding with, try to work out something with him. Tell him that if he gets stuck at a light, you'll pull over and wait for him. Whatever. But if you don't want to ride with him, let him know that his riding behind you makes you nervous, and you'd prefer not to lead him again.

Howard,

If I do see him again, I'll try to ask him in a respectful but tactful manner. The entire incident made me a bit 'gun-shy' about being 'lead' again. One lesson I did take away from this episode was to KNOW the riding style of those behind you and to establish some ground rules otherwise (or as the safest last resort, get the hell outta the way).

 

Regards,

 

Mike O

[pmdave]

I'd like to suggest that it is not good practice to "form up" with some other rider/driver on the road. I'm not talking about an organized group ride where everyone knows the rules. I'm talking about happening upon some other rider and falling in line.

 

If you just happen to find yourself behind another rider (or group of riders) don't think of yourself as part of the group. Drop back the same as if you were following a truck, or politely pass the group--as if you were passing a truck.

 

I enjoy group rides (and sometimes leading group rides) but I do not appreciate some other "magnetic" rider I don't know clinging to me just because we're both on motorcycles.

 

However, if you agreed to ride with the other guy, and didn't agree on any conditions, you've stepped into the situation and must shoulder the blame for what happened. Two riders make a "group" and someone needs to set the rules up front.

 

If at any time during a "group" ride you feel uncomfortable, you should stop and withdraw yourself. And if the other(s) refuse to accept your withdrawal, its very easy to "get lost."

 

pmdave

[wsearl]

I too enjoy group rides and in fact at the moment it is the type of riding that I do most. What I often find is that, although I am a 'safe' distance behind the preceeding rider approaching a bend, when I follow the accepted wisdom and look as far through the corner as possible and start rolling on the throttle once leaned over - I often find that not only am I closing on the preceeding rider (because he is not accelerating as much), but I am wanting to look beyond where he is to sight the exit or next entry point. The solutions to this are obviously to find a more compatable rider to follow or to increase the following distance - it's just one of the traps of group riding that has to be weighed against the pleasures.

[Misti]

Perhaps the other rider just struggles a bit more with riding and tends to "target fix" on the leader. Often times people tend to get a bit distracted watching the rider in front of them instead of picking their own lines, this is sometimes why the rider behind a guy that crashes or goes off the road will also follow him off the road...could that be what was happening in this situation? Has that ever happened to anyone here? Does anyone notice that tendency to kind of go where the rider in front is, and/or ride faster behind a fast leader because you "trust" them???

 

Misti