Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1114063
MAY 8-14, 2019 UCW 23 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM MAY 11 • BIKERS AND NEEDY CHIL- DREN 5TH ANNUAL MOTORCYCLE AWARENESS DAY at Fort Bragg Harley-David- son, 3950 Sycamore Dairy Rd. Registration at 10 a.m., kickstands up 11 a.m. $10 per rider, $5 per passenger. Enjoy food and fellowship. Trophies will be given out for longest distance ridden and most miles. For more information on this event and the Bikers And Needy Children Foundation, email jeanierocks485@gmail.com. MAY 18 • CAPE BEARD: FOLLICLES OF FREEDOM PRES- ENTS THE 8TH ANNUAL PIG PICKIN' FOR AUTISM at Fort Bragg Harley-Davidson, 3950 Sycamore Diary Rd. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Check out a bike show, vendors, live music, a dunk tank and $5 barbecue plates. Outdoor activities include a motorcycle show, local vendors, live music, raffle drawings, bouncy houses, fire truck on display, dunk tank, $5 barbecue plates and much more. All of the proceeds benefit the Autism Society of Cumberland County. This family-friendly event has raised more than $62,000 within the last seven years. Our goal this year is to serve more than 1,000 plates of pulled pork and raise more than last year's total of $14,000. This event was awarded Best Local Char- ity Event by the readers of Up & Coming Weekly in 2017 and 2018. For more information, call 910-864-1200. MAY 19 • CHURCH RIDE at Freedom Biker Church-Fayetteville, 455 Rock Hill Rd. 10 a.m.-11a.m. Meet at the BP on Bragg Boulevard. For more infor- mation, email capefearhog@gmail.com or visit http://fortbragghog.com. MAY 25-27 • MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND at Fort Bragg Harley- Davidson, 3950 Sycamore Dairy Rd. Free food and entertainment all weekend. For more information, visit www.FortBraggHarley.com or call 910-864-1200. JULY 20 • 17TH ANNUAL CHRISTMAS IN JULY TOY RUN starting at Fort Bragg Harley-Davidson, 3950 Sycamore Dairy Rd., rain or shine. Registration at 8 a.m., departure at 10 a.m. $15 and an unwrapped toy per rider, $10 per passenger. All participants receive an event T-shirt, event pin and lunch provided by Texas Roadhouse. There will be a presentation to Duke Children's Hospital, a contest, prizes, raffles, food and live entertainment. For more informa- tion, call William Winford at 910-426-5082 or 910-261-4601. Hosted by Win- ford Foundation, in partnership with Walmart Transportation Office 6840. 4624 BRAGG BLVD. Pin-UP Contest June 1 st Registration at 6PM Entry Fee $5 FROM THE ROAD Group riding: Things to consider by JIM JONES JIM JONES, Motorcycle Enthusiast. Comments? Editor@upandcomin- gweekly.com. 910- 484-6200. Although group riding is fun and a great place to meet new friends, it can be a bit intimidating. The ride is more enjoyable if you are prepared and knowledgeable about the ride beforehand. When deciding to join a group ride, know what you are getting into. Distance, time, speeds and ability are all factors to be considered. Asking yourself if you have the right bike for the ride is important. Another ques- tion you should ask is what speeds you will be traveling. If you are unsure about practical details like this, con- tact the organizers. Finally, and very importantly, you must ask yourself, "Are these the right guys to ride with?" When riding with a group, get there with your bike ready and a full tank of gas. This is just being polite. Before the start, you should have you clothing adjusted so you will be comfortable during the ride. As the temperature and weather conditions change, you need to be prepared. You will want to have the appropriate clothing for the appropriate weather — and don't forget about ensuring the same for your passenger, if you have one. Although most riders do not like rid- ing in the rain, the truth is that if you ride long enough, you will get wet. So bring your rain gear just in case. Communicating during the ride is essential. Talk with the group or ride organizer about hand signals. The lead rider will set the pace and communicate by hand signals everyone will know. Many of these signals will tell riders to slow down, to turn or to notice a danger on the road. These are helpful for this time of year as pot holes from the winter weather are still prevalent through- out the state. Do not over ride your ability. If the group is fast, there is no shame is staying back. If you feel the person behind you is too close or you are riding beyond your abil- ity, hang back and let the people behind you pass. The person in front of you should be responsible to look back and keep an eye on you. You would do the same for the rider behind you. If you lose sight of someone, pull over and, after a minute or so, turn back to check on them. In theory, this should keep the group together as a whole. My biggest concern when riding in a group is distance. Your No. 1 safety priority when motorcycling is space. Although it looks cool to ride side-by-side, this is extremely dangerous and jeopardizes your- self, the person beside you and the people behind you. To avoid disaster, you should instead stay staggered: stay one second behind the person in front of you who is in the opposite lane as you and two seconds behind the person directly in front of you in the same lane. This will give you room to brake and swerve in the event of a dog running out or that eventual pot hole that is ahead of you. Motorcyclists have a lot in com- mon. They are all, by nature, risk- takers. Knowing when to throw in the towel with a group is something you should be ready to do. So if you come to that point where you no longer feel comfortable about riding with someone, do not be ashamed to let the group know you are breaking off. Chances are that if you are not having fun, they are not either, and it is prob- ably the best decision for all. If there is a topic you would like to discuss, please contact me at motorcycle4fun@aol.com. RIDE SAFE! When deciding to join a group ride, you should consider factors like distance, time, speeds and your ability level.