Midlands Rally gpx file wanted

[dubber68]

As tail end Charlie I had to stop and help someone whose clutch had burnt out and make sure he knew how to get back to the site and had contact numbers should they be needed. Some had waited at junctions but some had got fed up and left so we ended up taking an early trip back to site. If the group is big again then it needs making very clear that no one leaves a junction or they face public flogging. (Joking)

[Freeloadeur]

In the group I used to ride with in France we had a tweaked second-man drop-off system for big groups or "sensitive areas" basically every tenth rider is an intermediate Ride Leader/Tail End Charley and gets stuck in a fluorescent vest.

So just as in the usual system the main Ride Leader signals to the rider behind them to wait at junctions etc.

But when the tenth rider in their dayglo yellow comes along they signal to the person waiting to go ahead and to the person behind them to mark the junction. Doing it this way means the marker isn't sitting at a junction for hours wondering if everyone behind them has got lost.

We've worked this system very effectively even with multiple small groups setting off five minutes apart. All the intermediate Ride Leaders do is slow up their small group a little after each junction to maintain the gap. They themselves don't actually need to know the route.

We tend to also run two or three final Tail End Charlies if there's a chance people could come a cropper. They all stick together at the very back of the pack so that if needed one can stay behind with any breakdowns and the rest continue on so that some poor second-man isn't marking a junction for hours wondering where everyone is and if they'll ever catch up.

All the Ride Leaders/Tail End Charlies share their mobile numbers so they can keep in touch by text in case this go tits up.

Finally we fix a few rendezvous points throughout the route where the whole pack will gather together and not leave before a certain time and make sure everyone knows where the points are and all those with satnavs have saved them. They're usually placed to cut off loops in the ride-out route so that should anyone get completely lost they just punch in the next rendezvous point and head straight there. They give people a chance for a drink, a ciggie and a chat about how so-and-so fell in and everyone has a reasonably good chance of finding the group again if they do get lost and enjoying the rest of the ride instead of having to head home for an early bath.

It sounds complicated but it's one of those things that's harder to explain than do, basically if you can ride second-man drop-off you can ride this. The largest group we ran this way was 140+ riders all through the country lanes and farm tracks of rural Brittany. No one got left behind.

[beddowsm]

How about instead of people moaning about a big group, someone steps up and volunteers to lead. You pick the size of the group you want to lead and ask who wants to join you.

Send me a pm and ill send you a marked up map of the route me and the wife did last year, so that's trails suitable for 2 up on a 950 adv. just give me the map back after the ride.

And ill also send the 17 mile loop photocopied from abr issue 14 which details some of the trails.

[dubber68]

If someone can supply me with the route in gpx format then I would be happy to tail end again or be an intermediate marker. My off road skills are not good enough to lead a ride but I am happy to help in any other way.

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[Tramp]

Howdy folks...

I might be able to do a group..but I will sort out a gpx file but Ive not ridden it as its being supplied by other knowledgable members ..and a big thanks too.

My way and thoughts are..small group and the leader should stop and regroup..if he cant see the tail ender..stop group..tell them to wait and go back and find out what happened..safety first..

but if you lead out a group its your call and responsability..

[picos mestizo]

I must admit I'd thought we would split into smaller groups this year. With a big group like last year there's always someone who doesn't stick rigidly to the drop off/marker rules. Last year I stuck to it rigidly only to find the marker in front of me had got bored and buggered off. End of my ride and the 2 guys behind me.

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Last year I waited 50 minutes @ my drop off just before the fords.
When the back marker joined us we rode for ages & then twigged that no one had waited for us.
We missed about 4 lanes & headed for boughton on the water where we eventually regrouped.
Did I play drop off in the afternoon, did I f**k.
If the new game was "haul up the ladder Jack I'm aboard" then I was also playing the new game........ c'est la vie et tres horrible!!!!

[Rhys]

Hi Russ me and tom would have been up for going in a small group but we are going on road bikes this time no trails :blink:

[Tramp]

well missed last years but i`m going this year so anyone got any info on the lanes please (thumbs) gpx or genral info please..locations of the few shallow fords :woohoo: and more technical trails..yep I know there aint many but got to fall off somewhere :laugh: ..