HOG 1179 GROUP RIDE LEVELS, CONDITIONS, AND GENERAL SCHEDULE

General guidelines:

1.       Special events, dealer days, rallies, etc. will take precedence over the group ride schedule.

2.       Missed rides (such as due to weather) will not be moved up to the next weekend.  They will be cancelled and the schedule maintained.   However, cancelled rides scheduled for Saturday may be moved up to the Sunday of the same weekend at the ride leader’s discretion.

3.       We will plan to hold one event or conduct one scheduled group ride per weekend.  These rides may occur on either Saturday or Sunday to accommodate those who might work on Saturday or regularly attend church on Sunday.

4.       Novice riders should either get training for group riding through the road captains or start out with a GREEN ride and work up, staying within their comfort and skill level and not jumping from a GREEN ride to a RED ride without first successfully and comfortably taking a YELLOW ride.

5.       Rides will be stopped for true emergencies only.  Road captains will provide whatever assistance required to riders who drop out of rides for non-emergency reasons, such as discomfort, mechanical problems, etc.

6.       The schedule will be prepared for what we consider to be the core Mid-Missouri riding months – March through October.

FIRST WEEKEND OF THE MONTH

GREEN – THIS IS THE EASIEST GROUP RIDE WE ROUTINELY OFFER.  GREEN RIDES ARE TYPICALLY UNDER 120 MILES WITH ONE LONG AND LEISURELY FOOD STOP AND POSSIBLY OTHER STOPS AS DESIRED. 

Departure time 10:00 AM   Total ride duration 4 to 5 hours.  15 minute rider breaks after 30 minutes of ride time

SECOND WEEKEND OF THE MONTH

YELLOW – THESE RIDES ARE INTERMEDIATE IN CHALLENGE AND LENGTH.    MOST OF OUR RIDES WILL BE YELLOW RIDES.  YELLOW RIDES TYPICALLY COVER 120 - 250 MILES, ONE LONG FOOD STOP and/or other planned activity.  Departure times 10:00 AM.  Total ride duration 6 to 8 hours.  One 15 minute rider break per hour of riding time. 

THIRD WEEKEND OF THE MONTH

RED – THESE ARE RIDING INTENSIVE RIDES ONLY FOR EXPERIENCED RIDERS WITH GOOD ENDURANCE.  THEY MAY START EARLY, END LATE AND COVER 250 - 500 MILES PER DAY WITH MINIMAL STOPS AS SAFETY DICTATES.  SOME STOPS MAY BE TANK TO TANK - APPROX.  120 MILES (FOR PEANUT TANK RIDERS).   Departure time 8:00 AM   Ride duration 10 to 12 hours

We will try to schedule any overnight ride events classified as Red for the third weekend.

FOURTH WEEKEND OF THE MONTH

YELLOW – THESE RIDES ARE INTERMEDIATE IN CHALLENGE AND LENGTH.    MOST OF OUR RIDES WILL BE YELLOW RIDES.  YELLOW RIDES TYPICALLY COVER 120 - 250 MILES, ONE LONG FOOD STOP and/or other planned activity.  Departure times 10:00 AM.  Total ride duration 6 to 8 hours.  One 15 minute rider’s break per hour of riding. 

We will try to schedule any overnight ride events classified as YELLOW for the third weekend.

FIFTH WEEKEND OF THE MONTH

BLACK – ON THE RIDING MONTHS WITH FIVE WEEKENDS IN THEM, WE WILL TRY TO OFFER A BLACK RIDE (FOR BLACK AND BLUE BACKSIDES!).  BLACK RIDES WILL START EARLIER, END LATER AND ARE ONLY FOR SEASONED RIDERS WITH OUTSTANDING ENDURANCE WHO WANT TO RIDE FOR LONG HOURS.  BLACK RIDES ARE OVER 400 MILES WITH MOSTLY TANK TO TANK RIDING AND SHORT STOPS FOR GAS, FOOD, AND DRINK.

Riding Events: are planned overnight trips of 2 to 4 days in duration.  Hotels/camping facilities will be identified as the ride’s meeting rendezvous point.  Reservation at the designated facility or a facility of the rider's own preference will be the participant’s responsibility.  Group meals and activities will be planed and participants can elect to attend.  The event will be classified as YELLOW or Red based on the ride intensity defined above.  On multiple day rides participants may join or drop out at any rendezvous point in the ride.   Any participant join or leaving the ride is responsible for their own trip plan to or from the planned ride.

Dinner Rides: will be planned for Wednesday nights.  Participants can meet at the shop for a ride or can go directly to the dinner location.  The ride will leave form the shop at 6:30.  Dinner will predominately be planned in the Columbia area but may include rides to neighboring cities 35 to 50 miles away.  Restaurants will be mid-priced and conducive to a social group event.  Individual checks and bike parking.

Theme dinner rides: scheduled once a month at an upscale restaurant with private rooms.   It can be a ride or just meet or both.   Just for good times with good friends.