So, today was our annual Newb Ride. It was a simple idea: to welcome those newer riders and given them a positive role model for responsible and safe riding; to welcome riders who are new to Colorado and/or canyon riding and to welcome people to group riding. The CSC has traditionally held this ride in the earlier part of the riding season, before the onslaught of summer drivers and day-trippers yet far enough into the spring that the roads are clear of snow, ice and sand.
Description of the Ride
This year we will be hosting the N00b ride on May 21, the weekend before Memorial Day and as always, we will be teaming up experienced riders with their less experienced counterparts. While this is traditionally worked around the sportbike community, we do not and have not turned away persons on other types pf motorcycles. We ask only that everyone wear a helmet, gloves, ankle-height shoes and pants. Those who show up without this minimal amount of gear will be asked to leave the group ride.
So, let's all get together and have some fun!
May 21 at MoCo/ Noob Ride. 9am. Kick Stands Up, 9:30. Route: http://goo.gl/437Eo
Depending on the number of people we get we'll need a bunch of leads and sweeps. What did we have last year, 8 or 9 groups? Let's get at least 9 teams of leaders and sweepers.
Leaders and sweepers, remember this isn't a race. This is a noob ride. Hopefully we'll be able to put a handful of noobs with a handful of more experienced riders so the groups will all have an even mix.
Also, gear is required. Helmet, gloves, jackets and boots that cover your ankles, at least.
This Morning Call it my military training, my attention to detail or my inability to let things be a giant clusterf*ck, but getting the ride on the road and out of the parking lot was a lot more cumbersome than it needed to be, in my opinion. Others said it worked out fine, but it didn't work out the way I thought it should have and I think my way would have made staging and the roll-out a little more smooth.
Regardless, or due to that fact, we got underway long after I was hoping to, but it worked out well for most of us.
Anywho, one of our friends couldn't come on the ride today but he was able to take some pictures of us on the road as we passed by his neighborhood.
As you can see by the first few images, it didn't take but a mile or so for one group to be pulled over by the police. I found out later that one of the bikes, the white one, wasn't tagged or even registered.
I'm the left-most bike in the picture, in front of the Kawasaki green rider.
This is the white bike that got pulled over for no tags.
This was our return route as I forgot to turn the MyTracks Android App on before leaving from the stagin location:
View Noob Ride in a larger map
For the newbs that actually came on the ride, we got some really good feedback. Some of the more veteran riders complained about the pace, but this was a newb ride and hence the pace was designed to be slower than our normal riding pace.
I heard that one new rider did go down as he was trying to keep pace with some faster riders at the end of the day. When all was said and done he suffered some minor injuries and his bike will need some work, but he walked away. This is why we enforce the gear rules: helmet, jacket, gloves, boots and protective pants are encouraged, jeans are accepted.
I have a few more pictures and am sure many more will come to my attention over the next few days as people unload them from their phones and cameras. Hopefully, I'll be able to get some video of the ride, too; one of the riders had a 1080p video camera running during the ride.
