Group rides

I was up North for a ride last weekend, being a newbie to ATV group riding, it was awesome. There group rides were different than what I experienced here. What they did was a neat idea, I kinda liked it. There was a group of 60 people on the ride, before the ride the ride leader or whoever organized the group, asked us what our level of riding was. There were 3 levels, beginner, intermediate, and advanced. The difference in the groups was a beginner was easy terrain, fairly flat, and at a slow pace. The intermediate level the terrain was a little hillier, the pace was faster. The advanced was what ever the ride leader wanted to throw at you, at a need for speed pace. There was a designated ride leader for each group, and if someone wanted to they could do sweep. The motto was nobody gets left behind. The group waits at all the turns, if no one is at a turn; it was general knowledge that we went straight. Nobody got left behind.

Being a newbie I chose to do beginner. There was about 10 riders in our group, and it was cool I got to ride with people of my own level, it was fun. I wanted to do it again.

The thing is that there was no pressure on me to keep up with the group of expert riders; I didn’t have to ride over my head, perhaps get hurt, and end my experience of ATV riding all together. I think it was a lot safer approach to group riding, and it was a whole lot more fun. Some of the other advantages are that maybe an expert takes a beginner group out, and teaches them some techniques, or corrects something they are doing wrong, it makes for better riders all the way around. As you do more rides and get better at it, you advance up to the next level.

It is just a thought that maybe we can work it out in our group rides. Let me know what you think.