Not trying to scare anyone, but group selection is a huge factor in the success and safety of the event.
I noticed a BUNCH of First Time Attendee's signing up for INT. ride groups, PLEASE if you didn't read this section in the Original Thread then Please read this again and if you question in the Slightest that you Maybe Shouldn't be in the Int. group PLEASE contact me and I will move you to Relaxed (Slower Int). It's NOT an Ego thing at all, it's about the enjoyment and SAFETY of everyone attending this event, so please put the Ego aside and make a proper decision here.
Our Intermediate Group is our FAST & Experienced Twisty Riders!
Intermediate:(Int/fast) Experienced TWISTY/Mtn riders and or track day experience, confident with non-stop twisties and the endurance to handle them on longer routes(usually 300+ miles) Ride PACE avg. of 10-20 mph over. We’re not talking about in a straight line here!
Note on group selection: This area is unmatched in twisties both in volume, duration and technical level compared to 90% of the rest of the country and if you don't ride in similar terrain in that other 10% of the country YOU WILL NOT BE READY FOR WHAT YOU'LL ENCOUNTER HERE ! These twisties are endless and provide little chance to rest and fatigue sets in very quickly. Fatigue multiplies the chance of crashing by 10 fold especially in this area where the turn you just screwed up is only half as hard as the one you’re now entering from the wrong side of the road. Even the slightest mistake is compounded by the extremely technical nature of these roads that provide little to No room for error! Please do not take group selection lightly; your life may depend on it! I cannot express that fact enough! We place a lot of importance and responsibility in the roll of our Lead/Sweep Teams and our desire for them to focus on GROUP safety as it's a very important aspect of this events success. But No matter how dedicated out Teams are, we cannot control the choices each attendee makes and the effect these have on the entire Event. Each rider coming to this event also plays a huge roll in its success by choosing a proper and safe ride group for them. If you are an Intermediate rider in most of the country you will be a Relaxed level rider in this part of the country, please don't let ego pick your ride group! This is the single biggest and most important decision you will make when attending the T-Mac, it will play the biggest role in the fun and safety of everyone involved. Please do your part and focus on the Fun factor along with Not losing sight of the fact that this is a Memorial Ride for the first VFRD member to lose his life!Thanks
Listen to the old man he really knows what he's talking about :tongue:
Even experienced mountain riders on 3rd Gens who who shall remain nameless have crashed on those roads (not everyone can be like SwitchBlade.) There are lots of very steep embankments and it is very easy for tunnel vision to set in and if you go off the side of the road you won't stop until your tumbling body eventually hits a tree. We really are not trying to scare anyone but these are not very forgiving roads and your entire life can change in a fraction of a second and lots of us have seen it happen to others right in front of of own eyes!!! It's hard enough worrying about yourself on those roads and then you have to factor in all the other idiots who will be sharing the road with you. If you are new to this type of riding please be smart and ride well below your perceived limit. Have fun and be safe everyone!!!
Listen to the old man he really knows what he's talking about :tongue:
Even experienced mountain riders on 3rd Gens who who shall remain nameless have crashed on those roads (not everyone can be like SwitchBlade.) There are lots of very steep embankments and it is very easy for tunnel vision to set in and if you go off the side of the road you won't stop until your tumbling body eventually hits a tree. We really are not trying to scare anyone but these are not very forgiving roads and your entire life can change in a fraction of a second and lots of us have seen it happen to others right in front of of own eyes!!! It's hard enough worrying about yourself on those roads and then you have to factor in all the other idiots who will be sharing the road with you. If you are new to this type of riding please be smart and ride well below your perceived limit. Have fun and be safe everyone!!!
Rollin
You ran off and left me that day but gotta say the old girl look good. I was smiling ear to ear under the helmet. About once every 3 years I encounter a 3rd gen at the dragon haulin a$$ .
Did I miss something? When do we enter ride group classifications? What group levels are there? Only two?
Thank you in advance
So, you haven't read the entire first post of the Tmac thread then???? :unsure:
Yes, usually in past years we had Scenic, Relaxed & intermediate. No group named Fast as I was trying to keep ultra Speed away from a Memorial Ride event. :unsure:
But this year I just went back to Novice, Intermediate and Advanced ride groups.
Our old fast Int and this years Advanced groups are almost completely made up of Local FAST guys with tons of Mtn or Track time. I also stopped trying to have Lead/Sweep teams for this group as they always break up into known groups and police themselves very well.
This years Int. group should be made up of experienced Mtn/twisty riders who can go all day long at 10-20 over the speed limit w/o effort.
The novice group should consist of newer riders and experienced riders with min. Mtn experience or folks who basically want to take it easy. Guessing speed limit riders w/ possible 10+ if the group is up to it.
I'm a Minnesota rider with ~ 100,000 miles of out-of-state riding experience over my seven year riding time. The roads in this area are the toughest I've encountered. I've been on the ground more that once. (blush) The relaxed-pace groups I've ridden with in passed T-Macs were challenging and lots of fun.
Start with a novice group and move to another if you are bored (fat chance of being bored :wink: ). And listen to those that know.
Did I miss something? When do we enter ride group classifications? What group levels are there? Only two?
Thank you in advance
So, you haven't read the entire first post of the Tmac thread then???? :unsure:
Yes, usually in past years we had Scenic, Relaxed & intermediate. No group named Fast as I was trying to keep ultra Speed away from a Memorial Ride event. :unsure: But this year I just went back to Novice, Intermediate and Advanced ride groups. Our old fast Int and this years Advanced groups are almost completely made up of Local FAST guys with tons of Mtn or Track time. I also stopped trying to have Lead/Sweep teams for this group as they always break up into known groups and police themselves very well. This years Int. group should be made up of experienced Mtn/twisty riders who can go all day long at 10-20 over the speed limit w/o effort. The novice group should consist of newer riders and experienced riders with min. Mtn experience or folks who basically want to take it easy. Guessing speed limit riders w/ possible 10+ if the group is up to it.
BR
Got ya. I don't read all of the Ikea instructions either.
The first time I went to a Nighthawk Rally at the Gap I had a veteran tell me something that really resonated:
Don't pick a group to ride with just because you like the people in that group. The place to hang together is back at the campfire.
I had been talking to these guys for so long I was really looking forward to riding with them and BS'ing. I found that they are far more aggressive than I am on the bike. The next day I chose the route and group based on what kind of ride I wanted and I had a much better time. Be honest with yourself and you will always have a good time.
Did I miss something? When do we enter ride group classifications? What group levels are there? Only two?
Thank you in advance
So, you haven't read the entire first post of the Tmac thread then???? :unsure:
Yes, usually in past years we had Scenic, Relaxed & intermediate. No group named Fast as I was trying to keep ultra Speed away from a Memorial Ride event. :unsure: But this year I just went back to Novice, Intermediate and Advanced ride groups. Our old fast Int and this years Advanced groups are almost completely made up of Local FAST guys with tons of Mtn or Track time. I also stopped trying to have Lead/Sweep teams for this group as they always break up into known groups and police themselves very well. This years Int. group should be made up of experienced Mtn/twisty riders who can go all day long at 10-20 over the speed limit w/o effort. The novice group should consist of newer riders and experienced riders with min. Mtn experience or folks who basically want to take it easy. Guessing speed limit riders w/ possible 10+ if the group is up to it.
BR
Got ya. I don't read all of the Ikea instructions either.
Even without a trailer the tractor has trouble staying in his lane. The video is over 6 minutes at 4x speed and he started at the overlook instead of the beginning so it is about 2 miles short of a full run...you can see Parsons Branch where I busted my azz being stupid a few years ago riding with the Charlotte crew before TexasMac started.
I really wish someone would accurately map the road for Playstation so I could practice over the winter.
I really like his camera as well, it doesn't seem to have the fish eye issue that plague my gopro and my contour.
Even without a trailer the tractor has trouble staying in his lane. The video is over 6 minutes at 4x speed and he started at the overlook instead of the beginning so it is about 2 miles short of a full run...you can see Parsons Branch where I busted my azz being stupid a few years ago riding with the Charlotte crew before TexasMac started.
I really wish someone would accurately map the road for Playstation so I could practice over the winter.
I really like his camera as well, it doesn't seem to have the fish eye issue that plague my gopro and my contour.
Did I miss something? When do we enter ride group classifications? What group levels are there? Only two?
Thank you in advance
So, you haven't read the entire first post of the Tmac thread then???? :unsure: Yes, usually in past years we had Scenic, Relaxed & intermediate. No group named Fast as I was trying to keep ultra Speed away from a Memorial Ride event. :unsure: But this year I just went back to Novice, Intermediate and Advanced ride groups. Our old fast Int and this years Advanced groups are almost completely made up of Local FAST guys with tons of Mtn or Track time. I also stopped trying to have Lead/Sweep teams for this group as they always break up into known groups and police themselves very well.This years Int. group should be made up of experienced Mtn/twisty riders who can go all day long at 10-20 over the speed limit w/o effort.The novice group should consist of newer riders and experienced riders with min. Mtn experience or folks who basically want to take it easy. Guessing speed limit riders w/ possible 10+ if the group is up to it.
BR
Got ya. I don't read all of the Ikea instructions either.
Did I miss something? When do we enter ride group classifications? What group levels are there? Only two?
Thank you in advance
So, you haven't read the entire first post of the Tmac thread then???? :unsure:
Yes, usually in past years we had Scenic, Relaxed & intermediate. No group named Fast as I was trying to keep ultra Speed away from a Memorial Ride event. :unsure: But this year I just went back to Novice, Intermediate and Advanced ride groups. Our old fast Int and this years Advanced groups are almost completely made up of Local FAST guys with tons of Mtn or Track time. I also stopped trying to have Lead/Sweep teams for this group as they always break up into known groups and police themselves very well. This years Int. group should be made up of experienced Mtn/twisty riders who can go all day long at 10-20 over the speed limit w/o effort. The novice group should consist of newer riders and experienced riders with min. Mtn experience or folks who basically want to take it easy. Guessing speed limit riders w/ possible 10+ if the group is up to it.
BR
Got ya. I don't read all of the Ikea instructions either.
But if you don't follow instructions you can hurt more than if the flat pack shelf falls off the wall...
I can't emphasize enough the importance of having tires in good shape. For most folks, that includes tires less than 4 years old or so. They start to lose their stick after a while and these roads need as much as possible. Even half worn tires disappear the first day following someone who is going to "take it easy." We can't all be like Donna and ride different bikes fully prepped by our live-in mechanic.
I can't emphasize enough the importance of having tires in good shape. For most folks, that includes tires less than 4 years old or so. They start to lose their stick after a while and these roads need as much as possible. Even half worn tires disappear the first day following someone who is going to "take it easy." We can't all be like Donna and ride different bikes fully prepped by our live-in mechanic.
Can't wait till reads this ....
End of thread · 21 posts recoveredWayback Machine snapshot 21 Jun 2015