Seneca Lake Ride and Popcorn Drop
By Kevin Irwin - The Sweeper
Chapter President Tom Johnson led a successful Seneca Lake Ride which had 20 bikes and 26 riders along with beautiful weather! The group also executed a successful popcorn drop! What the heck is that!?
Before we answer that question, let’s give a special thanks to Social Media Director Chris Weisgarber and Membership Director Maria Weisgarber for their outstanding camera work and editing on the video attached below.
These 20 motorcycles were basically a parade and for the most part we were treated as such by many drivers and spectators along the way. With a group that big, we inevitably get broken up by traffic lights or busy intersections in small towns. Keeping a group together is tough. Helmet communication technology can help, but 20 bikes at 2 seconds part, rolling through hills and curves, impacts those communications. This is where the popcorn drop comes into play.
The idea is that In the event the group gets split up, you are responsible to make sure the person behind you knows the route to be ridden.
When you and the person behind you become separated, you are considered the popcorn to be dropped, and now is when your responsibility kicks in.
As long as the front group (and you are the last rider in that group) go straight, you remain with the group.
If the ride goes on, and there is a turn, you are to pull over somewhere safely close to the turn (before the turn or directly after) where the rider that was directly behind you, and is now the leader of the separated group can see you so that person knows the direction to go.
We discussed this briefly in the pre-ride meeting. Tim Rickert executed this perfectly on Sunday when the group became separated on 241 between Shuffle and Strausser. I The successful popcorn drop done in 2019 by Jeff Peterson!
Tim went one step further sharing a writeup he prepared for another group that explains the popcorn drop. You can read it here - What is the popcorn drop? It has been added to the rider resources page which is an information cornucopia. Check it out —-> Ride Resources
As the Sweeper on this ride I was really impressed with hand signals that came down the line, the overall pace of the ride, and how well the group stuck together. Well done!
Ride On!
