Since it is still a little chilly, and I don't want to get salt on my scoot, I thought this would be a good time to remind my other club members about cycle etiquette.
When riding with others it is very important to keep several cycle behaviors and habits in mind. We support the staggered formation and ask our riders to keep a 6 second spacing rather than a 4 second spacing. We call this motorcycle nice. It gives our less experienced riders a little more room and gives us all more reaction time. One challenge is to prevent the accordion effect, where spacing increases and decreases due to riders speeding up and slowing down. If you want to be thoughtful and considerate toward our biker brothers and sisters, learn to be a calm, consistent, and steady rider. No need for jack rabbit starts or surges of speed, just because you want to air it out a bit. Take it from Tiny and follow this group ride rule: Think of others and don't be a bother.
Give and accept feedback on a ride. Our goal is to not only have safe rides, but also to educate each other so we all grow and improve as bikers. We focus on behavior; use I statements and look for the appropriate time and place to give feedback. It is best to actually use I feel statements and also to begin with a positive statement about the other rider. We never let them have it or look for ways to put down others, because we want to be a good biker neighbor.
I could continue with more on etiquette, but I will save that for some other time. I find often that this following statement and the image it produces can revolutionize your group riding abilities. Imagine that prior to any ride that you have a conversation with Mr. Rogers about what behaviors are important to practice during the ride. Will you be my biking neighbor?
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