Riding point vs wingman

A pair of Harleys entered the canyon in front of me yesterday evening. I figured that would be the last I saw of them as I rode up the canyon. Well, it was the last I saw of the first rider... The second rider, however, was much more tentative on the curves, and therefore riding much more sedately. In the curves, she would start to lean, back off and straighten up, nad run a little wide in her lane... on the short straights she'd speed up to catch up with her riding partner. It was typical noob riding that I myself have exhibited on this road - there are lots curves and the ones at the beginning of the canyon are the tightest - so I hung way back to keep any traffic pressure off her. Curve after curve she was losing ground to her partner...

Her partner kept getting further and further away, never slowing down. Were they really together? Was he oblivious to her issues with the curves? Had they discussed the possibility that they would get separated during the ride?


Watching this play out and having experienced this same phenomena, has me pondering the importance of being the front rider. Often you see the more experienced rider in the front; they usually know the roads and/or how to read the road better than a lesser experienced rider, and sometimes they want & can to go faster. Also, it gives the less experienced rider someone to follow (but don't target fixate!) and guidance on entry speed into curves. If the second rider is much slower and constantly trying to 'keep up' by blasting through the straights (and thus having to brake even harder for curves), then the pace of the pack is too fast. Its good for the newer rider to learn how to lead - learning how to read the curves, to use hand signals as well as to keep an eye on your six.


The key is communication. Acknowledging one's skills and communicating with each other how you want to ride - before you start riding! Sometimes I'll ask my DH to lead and to keep a slower pace to I can watch his cornering technique; other times its a ride your own pace ride - and the nice thing is, he always waits for me at different points through out the ride (sometimes we set the stops up ahead of time when we know the route).


Back to the two Harley riders (and it could have been any type of bike) they were together because I had seen them enter the road together and the one point to the Boulder Falls out-of-order sign as they entered the canyon. And, based on the finger wagging and gestures at the Falls parking area where they stopped ... she was not very happy with him.

Riding together can be a lot of fun and being consciencious of each other's riding style can keep the riding experience fun.