Re: ridecamp-d Digest V99 #770

[MBlanchrd@aol.com]

In a message dated 7/7/99 2:47:02 PM PST, ridecamp-d-request@endurance.net 
writes:

> I wonder if certain very senior, experienced riders might not be
>  awarded the designation "emergency trail boss" or something.
>  They'd wear a special mark on their helmet or something.  Though
>  still a competitor, if a trail boss gives an order in what they judge to
>  be an emergency situation, other competitors just have to comply.
>  I don't know, it has never been easy to convince people whose minds
>  are set on one track that they've got to stop, shut-up, and listen
>  because something so serious that it overrides everything else has
>  come up.  It is scarey that it took a horse and rider falling off the
>  trail to finally penetrate peoples' consciousness.
>  
Why didn't I think of this? My husband and I rode motorcycles for years. We 
were members of the Harley Owners Group. One of the big things, always, when 
riding motorcycles, is safety. And it's of the utmost priority when riding in 
large groups. 

Most motorcycle clubs have what are known as Road Captains. A Road Captain is 
like an outrider...he or she is responsible for the safety of the ride as a 
whole. They are the ones who brief the club before the departure on the 
route, what happens in case a bike breaks down (which, unfortunately, is not 
that uncommon with Harleys, especially my 85 Wide Glide....:-(  ), keep track 
of where everyone is, and, if a road block is needed, provide it. (by which I 
mean, they'll go ahead of the group to serve as a spotter or someone to point 
where to turn. 
Being a Road Captain means that everyone in the ride defers to that person. 
No backtalk...if the Road Captain sees you doing something unsafe, he or she 
is obliged to correct you on the spot. It's not as draconion as it 
sounds...but bikers are like endurance riders in many ways, and part of that 
is our attitude and personality. WHile I can be as hard headed as anyone 
else, I never had a Road Captain get on my case, because I understood that my 
actions while riding in a formation could affect many others.

Why don't we toss this idea around? Call it a Ride Captain or what ever...it 
doesn't even need to be someone who's competing, but a Ride Captain should be 
mounted on a horse who is dependable, unflappable, and can pony another 
horse, or even allow someone to ride double. Shoot, I can start thinking of a 
hundred things a Ride Captain could do....
Michelle 


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