The Marker or Second Man Drop Off System
This is a system commonly used in group rides. Understanding the system is important, as everyone needs to do their part to avoid anyone getting lost.
One rider, the “Leaderâ€, will stay at the front and is responsible for navigating the route.
Another rider, “Tail End Charlieâ€, will stay at the back in last position. These are the only two riders who remain in their position in the group.
At every junction, the rider immediately behind the leader (Second Man/Marker) stops and marks the junction and indicates the route which the other members should follow. All other riders pass the marker. The marker then re-joins the group in front of “Tail End Charlieâ€.
This approach involves the entire group, and the marker gets rotated from front to back and gradually moves up to the front again. The method works provided everyone does their bit and doesn’t forget they are in the No.2 position, when it is their turn to mark. If you see a junction that should have been marked, pull over and mark it, you cannot over mark. Nobody other than “Tail End Charlie†should be riding last for any reason.
If traffic conditions force “Tail End Charlie†in front of the marker, overtake “Tail End Charlie†when safe to do so, he will be slowing to facilitate the overtake.
A roundabout should be marked by parking in a safe visible position on the exit.
When going straight through at a crossroads where you don’t have right of way, you may mark it, if you wish. The default action in such a case is to continue straight through. Therefore, if there is no marker when you arrive at the junction you should proceed straight on. If you do decide to mark such a junction you should do so by stopping in a safe visible position on the far side of the crossroads.
When you are marking a junction, make sure you park in a position not to obstruct other road users. If necessary point in the direction that riders arriving at the junction should proceed.
There is no need when using the drop off system to keep the rider behind you in your mirrors. There is no need to play catch up. With the drop off system there will be a marker waiting for you at the next junction.
When you are the marker, wait for “Tail End Charlie†to arrive, even if this takes a long time as there may be traffic problems further back. If you are unsure whether to mark a junction, do it anyway. Ride your own ride, don’t allow yourself to be pulled or pushed along. Enjoy yourself at your own pace. Overtaking is allowed so feel free to overtake slower riders. This just means you will be Second Man sooner.
If you overtake the Leader, you are on your own.
Here are a few diagrams to illustrate marker positioning.
Right Turn
Left Turn
Straight
Roundabout
