Roy Poynting column
The club run is an integral part of the old motorcycle scene. During 2020, a variation on the usual theme emerged, enabling people to ride in the company of like-minded souls.
“The potential problems are compounded by the variety of machines seen on classic runs, hosting anything from Bonnevilles to Bantams.”
There are several types of non-competitive road runs, and the simplest is undoubtedly to just ‘follow my leader.’ Even with a large number of participants this used to work well, but tends to become chaotic now higher traffic densities are compounded by impatient drivers, unhelpful traffic lights and disruptive roadworks.
There is also the possibility of directing participants by posting arrows or marshals at every junction, but again this process has almost disappeared. Volunteer marshals are increasingly hard to find, putting out and retrieving arrows takes enormous effort, and the signs themselves are magnets for vandals and mischiefmakers.
So, the methods most commonly used today are to set out a formal route, and either give a paper copy to every participant and let them find their own way round, or to use the ‘drop-off ’ system, in which whoever is immediately behind the leader waits to direct followers at junctions until the designated ‘tail end Charlie’ arrives.
Both systems have their virtues and problems. Personally I prefer to have my own route sheet so I can travel at my own pace, and I enjoy the tiny mental challenge of anticipating where the next junction might be, ensuring I don’t turn too early or overshoot. Others are less keen, claiming they prefer to look at the scenery, or – more worryingly – admitting they can’t read or understand the instructions. These folk usually revert to follow my leader mode, trailing after somebody whose navigation they trust, which is fine unless they get left behind at a junction, and find themselves lost and alone.
These natural followers obviously prefer ‘drop-off ’ runs, but that’s no guarantee they won’t experience problems. On one local run the drop-off man was told to wait for a Triumph-riding tail-end Charlie wearing a fluorescent jacket, and – catching sight of such a dressed and mounted chap who wasn’t even on the run – took off, leaving half of the entrants without a clue about what was going on.
The potential problems are compounded by the variety of machines seen on classic runs, hosting anything from Bonnevilles to Bantams. As a result, the big boys might have to wait quite a while for the tiddlers, which in turn need to be thrashed to get back in the pack. And then there are inevitably occasional problems keeping classic machines ticking over at the junction, or restarting them after they have been idle for a few minutes.
In spring 2020, however, all these personal preferences became academic as the first Covid pandemic lockdown almost instantly stopped all social riding. We fretted at the restrictions – especially as solo motorcycling was obviously one of the less medically dodgy pastimes – but thankfully it was only a couple of months until some non-essential travel was again on the agenda. First, we were allowed out singly or in family company, but soon up to six non-related people could meet in the open, and it didn’t take long to realise it only needed one person to devise a route, and we could again see, and ride with, some of our friends.
And if more club mates wanted to join in, the obvious answer to form a second group leaving slightly later.
In the circumstances, the ride-outs couldn’t be formalised with signing-on and entry fees, but it didn’t really matter, as numbers never reached pre-Covid levels and we never had more than 18 riders. Without any serious organisation, things seemed to naturally fall into place with no more than three route cards needing to be handed out to those of us who enjoy doing our own navigation, and up to five who prefer to follow slotting in behind them. The interesting thing is that we mostly know each other’s riding styles and bikes well enough that the groups seemed to self-select. So – to eliminate one of my reservations – you didn’t get the guy with the Bonneville all over the back mudguard of a Bantam, or vice versa. And another of my concerns also evaporated, because with only six in a group, when one failed to get across a junction it was no problem to pause at the roadside until he (or she) caught up.
Of course, our local group wasn’t alone in adopting this solution, and I was interested to see that almost half of VMCC sections put on similar events, and found them equally popular. Obviously Covid-19 hasn’t done anybody any favours, but when it is eventually brought under control it will be fascinating to see if it has generated a ‘new normal’ as far as club runs are concerned.