Group Riding - The "Drop System"

Riding in a group is fun, but the combination of a larger group and a complicated route could easily lead to the group becoming separated, and riders without the route in a GPS becoming separated from the group.

For that reason, when riding in a group it’s best to adopt a group riding technique known as “the drop system.” While there are a few components to successfully implementing this system, the core principle boils down to this one, simple sentence:

Each rider is responsible for the rider behind them.

Here’s how it works in practice. In this example, four riders are setting out on a twisty ride. At the beginning of the ride, all four riders are close enough so they can see the whole group ahead of them and behind them, in their mirrors.

However, as the ride progresses, the group spaces out a bit, and soon, the lead rider has pulled out of site of the second rider, who has in turn pulled out of sight of the third rider. That’s fine, until it’s time to take a turn off the road they are currently on.

Here’s where the “drop system” gets its name - when the ride leader reaches a turn on the route and does not see the rider behind them, the ride leader drops to the side of the road and waits in a place that is safe from traffic, but visible enough to be seen from a reasonable distance down the road. The lead rider then waits for the next rider to appear, and acknowledge that they see the leader by blinking their headlights, waving, or even pulling up next to them and stopping. 

Here’s where the process happens. The leader takes off and continues the route, and the second rider drops- and waits for the rider *behind them,* in this case the third rider. When the third rider shows up, the second rider continues along, and the third rider - you guessed it- waits for the *fourth* and final rider. 

Why this system works best

There are other ways to manage group riding drops- for the sake of clarity, I will leave discussion of those other versions for the end. However, this drop system- where every rider is responsible for the rider behind them - works well because of the following reasons:

1. It works with any sized group, from two riders to twenty, or more.

2. It allows the individuals in the group to ride at a pace comfortable for them- fast people can ride fast, more lesuirely people can take in the scenery, and everyone can be assured that they will not be left behind.

3. If a rider suffers a mishap - a breakdown etc- they will not be left behind in the group. Riders behind them will come up an encounter them, and riders in front will wait until the situation is resolved or communicated (more on that later). 

4. Rather than having to count and remember how many riders there are and account for them all, each rider has only *one* other rider- the rider behind them- to manage. They can spend the rest of their attention and awareness to riding safely. (The trailing rider has it even easier- they only have to worry about themselves!)

5. I first encountered this method of dropping when I rode in a large group in California, so for the sake of convenience and distinction I’ll refer to it as the “Cafornia Drop System” for the rest of this article.
   

What happens if someone breaks down, has to pull over, or crashes?

So let’s go back to our hypothetical four rider group. In this case, rider #3 has suffered a flat tire, and is pulled over on the side of the road trying to fix it. Again, the rider should be pulled over in a safe spot that is nonetheless visible from the side of the road, so that rider #4 will spot them and be able to pull over to help.

Meanwhile, riders #1 and #2 are up ahead, waiting for the riders behind them. Ideally, rider #3 or #4 has cell numbers for them, and have texted them or called, but in the likely case that reception is poor, the system will still work. Assuming rider #3 is safe where they are, rider #4 can continue ahead to alert rider #2- who can then ride up to where rider #1 is waiting, and alert them. The group can then decide what to do, based on the situation, and whether they can get rider #3 back on the road.

Some ways to make sure the “California Drop System” works well:

• Swap as many cell numbers as possible with members of your group. It helps if you tag the name with an identifier (like “CandC Mike”) so you can easily find them in your phone’s contact list.

• Distribute the routes beforehand to people riding with GPS, and ensure that the loaded routes sync up (some GPS units handle routes differently, or have different/outdated maps, which can cause trouble).

• The group leader should pick spots along the route for regroups - these could be places where the transition is a little unclear (a fork in the road, or an intersection with multiple roads smoking off of it), or places for a natural stop (a gas station for fuel, snacks and restroom breaks).

• If possible, breaking large groups into smaller sub-units lead by experienced riders using a GPS, or familiar with the route, can make the whole process more manageable. Six riders seems to be the ideal size for a sub-unit, but eight and ten rider units are not too unwieldy. 

• The group should have an easy to find “regroup point” farther along the ride, in case someone does miss a turn and go awry. A lost rider can often head off a group that has left them behind by riding straight to the regroup point while the main group winds its way there. 

• Make sure all the attending riders are aware and agree with the system! In a large group ride, all it takes is one rider forgetting to drop to send a whole bunch of riders awry.

Different (not recommended) method for the Drop System:

Searching online reveals there are other thoughts about how exactly to manage the Drop System. On of them is called the “Second Man Drop,” which is similar to the “California Drop System.” However, instead of being responsible for just the one rider behind them, at the first intersection the second rider drops and lets *all* the other riders pass them, until the trailing rider arrives, and then the now second-to-last rider takes off. In my opinion, this method has several downsides vs. the one described above:

1. Large group rides ten to segment naturally, with faster riders riding near the front, and slower riders trailing in the back. With the “Second Man Drop,” at the first interesection, a (likely) faster rider is suddenly sorted behind all the other riders, including the slowest in the group.

2. In large groups that space out, the “Second Man Drop” could mean each rider who drops has to wait a long time for the whole group to go by, rather than just waiting a relatively short amount of time for the rider immediately behind them to catch up.

3. Since each person’s position shuffles at each stop, there’s more adjusting to the riding style of a new person ahead of you, which demands attention that you could be using to ride safely and enjoying the ride. 

Again, I mention this version of the system just to address other ideas about managing group rides- having lead and ridden in large groups for many years, I have found the “California Drop” system to work better and more reliably.

OK, that’s a lot of information and detail, so I’ll summarize the single important sentence again:

Each rider is responsible for the rider behind them.

Each rider should make sure that rider knows where to turn, is in good condition to continue, and is OK with them taking off down the road before they depart. 

Being respectful, aware, and proactive in making sure you are helping the rider behind you will ensure everyone has a fun and safe group ride!