DS Ride 04 - Dec '06 - Orientation

PUTTING “SPORT” INTO DUALSPORT:
EAST ANGELES FOREST LOOP

What . . . . . Dualsport Ride, full day, novice / intermediate
When . . . . . . . . . . . . Meet Sunday, 17 December, 7:00 AM
Where . . . . . . . . . . . . . Meet @ BMW Ventura parking lot
Contact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Laine_MacTague@verizon.net

DS RIDE 04: ORIENTATION

This document may look familiar, but there are significant changes to the content. Please read it thoroughly, even if you have seen it’s like three times before…

WHERE WE GO

Meet @ BMW Motorcycles of Ventura County (in Newbury Park) @ 7:00AM Sunday 17th December. Show up on time with about 70 miles worth of fuel; we will be making a fuel and a brief coffee stop after about an hour of the most grueling type of riding in the series: Freeway miles.

This ride will be made up of alternating paved and unpaved sections. By far the longest paved section will be the first hour of riding, after which we will see minimal short paved sections, until the ride back to the shop. We will be zigzagging our way through the Angeles National Forest. If you are coming from the L.A. area or other points south / east of the shop, contact me RE an alternate meeting place.

The ride should take the whole day, and days being as short as they are, these days, I expect it will be getting dark as we head homeward.

I have yet to find a suitable after-ride meal stop. If you happen to know of a decent restaurant in the Canyon Country area, sing out. There is a possible mid-ride restaurant stop for lunch, but it is a total of 16 miles out of our way. We will only divert if time allows. In light of all this, I recommend bringing food along.

Remember, if you are in the greater L. A. area and want to skip riding up to the shop just to have us take you right back down there, email me for directions to an alternate meeting area.


WHAT GOES

We have progressed to the point where knobby tires, while still not a necessity or requirement, will make a notable difference in the ease with which you can handle the trail. Consider blowing the $200 for a set of knobbies, either now or in the near future; they will continue to look more like necessary equipment as the Series progresses. If you have never tried them on your GS, you owe it to yourself to experience the difference. I know the shop has a lot of TKC 80’s in stock right now…

YOU MUST BRING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . YOU SHOULD BRING
Your permit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basic tool kit for your bike
Water (I bring a 3L camelback) . . . . . . . . . . .ATGATT
Driver’s license. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pressure gauge
Vehicle registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Snacks / lunch
Proof of insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Warm clothes – mountains in December…

YOU MIGHT LIKE TO BRING. . . . . . . . . . . I STRONGLY SUGGEST YOU DON’T BRING
Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Saddlebags
2-way radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100% street tires
Cash (in case of restaurant stop) . . . . . . . . . Saddlebags
Air pump . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Passenger


HOW WE GO

Pavement

Ride at a pace you are comfortable with. Never leave an intersection without making sure that the rider behind you sees you and knows what direction you are going. This will allow us to all ride our own pace and string out if need be, while still assuring that if any rider requires assistance, the rest of the group will be made aware of it. Remember, when you reach an intersection where some one has been waiting for you, that you may need to stop there and wait for the rider behind you as well! If we all follow these rules, you may see no one ahead of you on a curving road, but you will always see some one when we make a direction change. Also, you may be required to wait a few moments now and then if you ride quick, but you can always ride at a pace you enjoy, and still stay with the group.

— Formation —

The basic group riding formation is familiar to most riders. The lead rider rides to the left (usually) of the lane, with the second rider to the right and a few lengths back. The third rider is a similar distance behind the second, and so on. When the road gets more technically demanding, open up into a single-file formation. When we come to a stop at an intersection, tighten up into a two-abreast configuration at the stop. This will help us get through stops intact.

— Passing —

Other vehicles – When the group is passing a slower vehicle, assume that the rider in front of you has no plans to leave you room between himself and the vehicle he is passing, once he has passed it. Its nice when the rider in front of you can leave you a space to follow behind, but it is not a requirement, nor is it always even possible. Look out for yourself.

Other riders in the group – Ride your own pace, and let others do the same. If you are behind a rider who is taking the turns a little slower than you would like, you should feel comfortable tapping your horn / flashing your lights to request to pass. Likewise, if a rider is maintaining position right behind you in the turns, keep an eye out for his high beam; if you see it, or hear a horn, slow and let the rider past.

The leader— Honk or flash, just like with any other rider. I’ll letcha by. If you get to an intersection and aren’t sure which way to go, just stop and wait if. If you miss a turn when out of sight, however, you have effectively left the ride (and are welcome to rejoin, of course).

— Communication —

I have included links on the blog (in the sidebar) concerning hand signals for riders. We seem to make use of them rarely, but it is nice to know it when the rider in front of you is waving for you to pass him, and not swatting at bugs. The ability to recognize a quick obstacle warning from the rider in front of you is also quite useful. The MSF-USA link is particularly valuable in this regard.

— Planned Stops —

Two stops after the first ~65 miles: One for fuel, and another for coffee and to meet riders joining us from the Deep South.
One possible lunch stop in the middle of the second paved section.
One possible post-ride stop near Canyon Country for a meal / debriefing / big fish stories – IF I get a line on a place to eat!

— Known hazards —

None more significant than the everyday hazards. There will be carpool lanes available to us at times. At this point, I intend not to use them, because they limit our mobility and will make it needlessly challenging to keep the group together.


Off-Pavement

In general, I expect us to spread out a bit more than in the past. That’s fine; if you want to move quickly, do. Remember that even on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere, there may be oncoming traffic (or deer, etc.) around any turn. I’m all for stretching one’s abilities, but ride prudently. FYI, I intend to bring up the rear, or ride in the ranks instead of in front, much of the time.

— Formation —

Single-file formation will allow maximum maneouverability for avoiding obstacles. At slow speeds on easy terrain, we can ride closer together, but as speed increases, dust will likely force us to loosen up ranks considerably.

In the past, dust from other riders has kept us widely spaced. A workaround is to ride in pairs. Ideally, the more experienced rider rides a few bike lengths behind and to one side of the less experienced rider. The front rider has only the road ahead to worry about, and the back rider has the road and the front rider to watch out for. The back rider can adjust his distance from the front rider such that billowing dust passes below his face. This formation is never a requirement, but can be fun, and will serve to keep us a little closer together. This is not a safe formation at high speeds: If the road becomes straight and level enough to allow a significant speed increase, this formation should be abandoned.

In the past few months, a few riders have taught themselves enough about handling their bikes, that they are now capable of safely maintaining significantly higher speeds than was typical during the first rides. I expect some riders to want to continue to stretch their abilities. As a result, the group may become well strung out on the first portion of the first un-paved section, which is fairly straightforward (last time I was there). I intend to bring up the rear in this section. There are a few intersections along the way; it will be important to remember to wait for your following rider – regardless of how clear it is to you which way to go. And if it isn’t clear to you, just take a break and we can sort it out when I catch up!

There will likely be a mandatory regroup after about 18 miles (see “Planned Stops” below); we will discuss exactly where at the first pavement stop.

— Passing —

Remember to let other riders ride at their own pace, whether slower or faster. Passing on fire roads may require the slower rider to stop briefly, depending on terrain.

— Cruxes —

The lead rider generally stops at the beginning of a particularly challenging section of trail in order to allow other riders to gather. This way, information about the best lines can be shared. The lead rider then rides through the crux, stopping just past the end of the difficulty. Riders then follow, one at a time, through the crux section. This ensures that if a rider has trouble in the crux, help is available from both directions. We go one at a time so that if one rider falls in the crux, the next rider is not obliged either to do the same, or ride over his downed comrade.

There will likely be several short sections like this in the last 5-8 miles of the first unpaved section. I will start in the front for this section, but after the first tricky bit proves to be not that hard after all, I anticipate some of the more aggressive riders going on ahead, leaving several of us in back, working challenging sections together. This last portion of the first unpaved section provides the most challenging terrain of the ride. We’ll regroup when we hit pavement again.

— Communication —

The information we want to share off-pavement is sometimes different from what we communicate during a slab ride. A good example is a group of riders on a hilltop staring at a downed rider a quarter mile away where the road climbs up the face of the mountain. I would like to adopt some SCUBA signals for this sort of situation, until something better comes along: If you are concerned about a rider at a distance, put your hands together over or on top of your head, forming an O (for “Okay”) with your arms. If you see some one giving you this signal and you need assistance (or simply, if you need assistance), wave your arms around over your head. If you are okay, make the O sign (and remember not to wave your arms, but hold them steady for a moment in an O position).

Radios are a good idea, though not a requirement. I think they will become more useful as we progress, and I intend to bring them along this time. We still have new riders, and are creating experienced riders: I expect we may separate a bit now and then, to allow each other to control the level of challenge we attain. If someone gets a flat while separated, the radios will suddenly be extremely valuable. Bring one if you have one. Consider it safety gear.

— Planned Stops —

One stop to regroup about 18 miles into the first section. After that, I plan to regroup at the end of each un-paved section (so, remember to wait for your following rider at intersections, especially when we leave pavement – we don’t want any one missing a turn). We will also regroup near the beginning of the fourth un-paved section, which is a short stretch included mainly for the challenging (and not mandatory) short climb it provides.

— Known hazards —

Several possible. We’ll discuss over coffee, an hour into the ride.

— Primary Challenge —

Last month was obviously sand. This month it will be climbs, some of which are a little more steep and rocky than what we have previously experienced. If you were on DS Ride 01, you might remember one such section as we reached the end of the trail near the base of Topa Topa Bluff. So, we have done this sort of thing before. There will just be a little more of it, in a slightly more remote area. And the scenery is beautiful. This is a gorgeous ride!
… I digress … If you have read the blog a bit you will know what I mean when I say that the climbs in question are still more or less stoppable.

Aside from the short rocky climbs, the most notable change compared to previous rides is a small but noticeable increase in difficulty, in general. Roads are often a little bit narrower. The terrain is now and then a little bit steeper. The substrate is sometimes a little bit rockier.

Some of you are making use of the Skills documents in the blog archives to teach yourself better off-pavement riding; the most important skills to practice for this ride will be Steering with Feet / Knees, and Controlling Speed with Clutch-Throttle-Brake.

Consider yourself oriented. See you soon!
Laine MacTague