Up & Coming Weekly

November 04, 2014

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.

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22 UCW NOVEMBER 5-11, 2014 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Oyster Roast & Run FTCC Student Nurses Association Run Nov. 8th To help young & old in our community for Christmas! 4624 BRAGG BLVD. NOVEMBER 8 • FTCC STUDENT NURSES' ASSOCIATION OYSTER ROAST AND RUN at Legends Pub. Fundraiser to help young and old in our communit y for Christmas. Call 867-2364 for information. NOVEMBER 15 • CHILI COOK-OFF at Legend's Pub. Bring your best chili. Call 867-2364 for information. NOVEMBER 22 • STEELE ANGELS 11TH ANNUAL TOY RUN at Legends Pub. Call 867-2364 for information. PATRIOT GUARD RIDERS The Patriot Guard Riders is a diverse group of patriots from ever y state that come together to honor fallen soldiers at funeral ser vices across the countr y. Visit w w w.patriotguard.org for more information about the group. My wife Diana, and our friend Brad, are both new to riding. Last week we decided that we would do a Sunday ride up to Carthage to the Pic- N-Pig. During the Zombie Walk we ran into some other friends, and we all decided to ride together. We met at our friend's house. When we arrived, we saw about six motorcycles parked around their house. My wife and Brad were both freaked out because it was such a big group. After the introductions, I told the group that there were some new riders in our midst. They assured us that they were a good and safe group to ride with. They rode tight, cautious and they kept a very safe pace. One of the ladies invited me to the Steele Angels 11th Annual Toy Run. The event is scheduled for Nov. 22, starting at Noon at Legend's Pub. After she invited me, it reminded me that there is plenty of riding still left this year and plenty of group rides in the area. I wanted to take this opportunity to remind everyone about group riding. Either with friends or an organized group, riding can be intimidat- ing. The trip is always more enjoyable if you are prepared and knowledgeable about the ride beforehand. When deciding on a ride, you should know what you are getting into. Distance, time and terrain are all contributing factors for a fun and safe ride. Before deciding to take a group ride, ask yourself if you have the right bike for the ride. Another question you will want to ask is how fast you will be traveling. If it is a fast group and you are new to rid- ing, find another group. If you have questions about the ride, contact the organizers to be sure you feel comfortable. When riding with a group, being prepared is the first step in making a good impres- sion. That means showing up on time with your bike ready and a full tank of gas. Before the start, you should have your clothing adjusted so you will be comfortable during the ride. You will want to have the appropriate clothing for the appropriate weather and don't forget about your passenger; if you have one. Although most riders do not like riding in the rain, the truth is that if you ride long enough you will eventually get wet. So bring your rain gear just in case. Communicating during the ride is important. Talk with the ride organizer about hand signals. Hand signals are something that everyone should know. Many of these signals will tell you to slow down, turn or will point to danger in the road. These are extremely helpful to warn you of danger or potholes. The leader sets the pace but riding rules are helpful to everyone. Never override your ability. If you find yourself out of your league, there is no shame in staying back or falling out. If you get to a point that you feel the person behind you is too close then wave them past you. Another good rule is to never turn off the road without waiting for the person behind you. Wait for them at a place that is safe and where they can see you. When their bike catches you, go on ahead and they stay back and wait for the next person. This keeps the group moving. The person in front of you is responsible to look back and keep an eye on you. If you lose contact with them, we pull over and wait for them to catch up. If after a reasonable time, they don't come, turn around and ride back to check and see if they are ok. Organized rides usually have escorts and sometimes a chase vehicle. A chase vehicle is usually a vehicle with a trailer that can pick up a bike in the event of a breakdown or mishap. My biggest concern when riding in a group is distance. Your number one safety prior- ity should be space. Although it looks cool to ride side-by-side this is extremely danger- ous and jeopardizes yourself, the person beside you and many people behind you. To avoid a disaster, you will want to stay staggered and stay one second behind the person in front of you (in the right or left part of the lane) and two seconds behind the person directly in front of you. This will give you room to brake and swerve in the event of a dog running out or that unforeseen pot hole that is ahead of you. Remember, it is a ride. Not a race. If there is a topic that you would like to discuss you can contact me at motorcycle4fun@aol.com. RIDE SAFE! Group Ridng BY JIM JONES JIM JONES, Motorcycle Enthusiast, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com. Group riding can be safe and fun.

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