Well having just completed my 5th Aardvark, I still can’t get to the bottom of how this almost mythical description evolved. What I can tell you however is that for an observer, it represents a unique bi-annual opportunity to have your riding skills assessed by some of the best on-road coaches money can buy. Namely Rapid Training.
For the 3rd year running I was recently buddied with one of my favourite TVAM riders Steve Harris and when we found out that once again Alan Thomas would be our Pro-Coach, we knew we were in for a treat. Alan’s irreverent sense of humour breaks the ice from the get go and his non-prescriptive coaching technique guarantees that we will spend the day more akin to a 3 amigo’s road trip than a headmaster embarrassing us in front of our class mates. I suggest you ask Steve or Alan about the squashed raspberries incident if you are ever in need of a pick-me up!
Unfortunately, just hours before our scheduled session with Alan, Steve’s rear suspension failed (his bike’s equipment of course!) and as a replacement buddy could not be found at such short notice, I was offered the opportunity to ride with Alan on a one-to- one basis which I readily accepted. Sorry Steve, hope you can forgive me.
I met with Alan in a Costa coffee shop in which he, offered me, a cup of coffee. A nice twist on the usual student offering the teacher an apple scenario. We then spent some time discussing my riding since we last met and by the end of the coffee, we had the day planned to match precisely what I wanted to do, which included a trip to the sea-side for ice cream as Alan lives in Christchurch.
Throughout the day and in equal measure Alan gave credit for my riding skills where it was due and offered, in a positive and encouraging manner, constructive commentary on those elements that could perhaps be tweaked a tad. From time to time he also provided a semi-guided tour of his home county as we were riding along which I felt was a bonus!
In addition to all of the above, Alan offered me the opportunity to observe and comment on his riding for a short period which I readily accepted. He immediately rode off in a spirited manner and it took every ounce of my riding skill to catch and finally stop this Class 1 roads policing pursuit officer to give him a piece of my mind! However, I managed to moderated my questioning and batted away the constant excuses he gave me, drawn no doubt from his decades of listening to people trying to talk their way out of a prosecution.
At the end of a very long day, I arrived home completely knackered but elated from the brilliant, confidence inspiring and totally fun time I’d had.
I’m aware that for some, the thought of attending an Aardvark session can be a bit daunting. So I’m hoping you can see that if you embrace the opportunity with an open mind it can be a huge amount of fun.
In April this year and after much planning, Kimberley and I spent ten fantastic days in Scotland, riding some of the most thrilling roads we have ever ridden in the UK. A motorbike trip to Scotland is no small undertaking for those of us based in the South of England, but the effort was well worth it.
Scotland. For Bikers. By Bikers.
You could say we ‘cheated’ in a way as, rather than ride the 400 plus mile journey to our destination near Crieff in Perthshire, we loaded our bikes onto our two-bike trailer, filled the car with all our suitcases, bike gear and our two Dachshunds and set off early to avoid as much of the Good Friday traffic as we could. The journey was almost all motorway and dual carriageway which we find are the best roads to use when towing. The fewer twists and turns the better when you are hauling a Ducati Multistrada and a BMW S1000R behind you.
For those considering towing, here is our first top piece of advice. The entries, exits and connecting roads at motorway services are often in terrible condition and you need to be extra vigilant for potholes, bumps and failed road surfaces here. We have towed the bikes for thousands of miles and the only two times we have had a ratchet strap bounce out of place is on the exits from services.
The journey took ten hours in total which is gruelling, but we arrived at our rented holiday home comfortable, tired but happy to be there and relaxed in the evening sun.
Our reason for choosing to stay near Crieff was so we could ride routes which make up the “Crieff Cloverleaf”. To explain, a group of bikers have devised a set of circular routes which start and finish in the lovely town of Crieff and have shared them on their website www.cloverleaf.scot. There are 4 main long routes named North, East, South and West ranging from 180 to 240 miles and 4 ‘little leaves’ which are all around the 100-mile mark. All the routes are available from their website in GPX and Waypoint formats and all start from the easy to find Crieff Visitor Centre.
We took it easy for the first couple of days as there is plenty to do in and around Crieff. The major landmarks of The Kelpies and the Falkirk Wheel are less than an hour away and Dundee, with its recently regenerated waterfront and historic railway bridge is also within easy reach.
On our third day there, we decided to take our first ride and chose the ‘Little Leaf Northwest’ as our first taste of Scotland’s roads by bike. Well, all I can say really is that from the moment we left the outskirts of Crieff, the roads opened up into rolling moorland full of twisty, well maintained, largely traffic free roads. The scenery was truly spectacular with dramatic mountains, tranquil lochs, and managed woodlands all around. Our first day took us through the confusingly Welsh sounding Aberfeldy, through the village of Dull (twinned with Boring in Oregon) and on to lunch at Killin.
The Kelpies
This first ride out had given us a flavour of what was to come, so our next full ride was the 240 mile ‘North Leaf’. This route included what we now think of as our new favourite road; a section of the A924 between Comrie and Kirkmichael. It really is stunning, with far too many twists and turns to count, it was a technical, spirited ride of long sweeping curves, rapid elevation changes and tight, almost chicane like dips and turns. I described parts of it as like doing Look, Lean, Roll in 3D. We arrived in the tiny village of Kirkmichael elated and ready for coffee and cake which was plentiful at the charming Community Village Shop. The shop is next door to a vintage car specialist and we spent a while chatting to the owner and admiring a Lagonda which dated back to long before it joined with Aston Martin.
Glencoe view
We were only about a quarter of the way round this loop at this point and the route continued North to Braemar, Tomintoul (for lunch) and Aviemore. Again, the roads were largely empty and utterly breath taking. We’d frequently ride over a crest and just say “Wow” over the helmet comms at yet another spectacular view.
Here’s another tip. There are a lot of elevation changes and hidden dips on these moorland roads so remember the advice that you “must be able to stop in the distance you can see on your side of the road”. Remember that the obstacle you might encounter is just as likely to be a sheep as a Range Rover in these parts. Also, for large sections of this route there are Snow Poles on either side of the road which are very useful for those crests where it takes a moment to resolve if the road goes straight on, left or right after the hump. The top of the snow poles will be your first clue and help you set up for the next bend.
Next, we rode the ‘West Leaf’, which takes in the southern part of the Highlands and passes through Glencoe, Oban and Inveraray and includes more beautiful Lochs than you can count. It also includes Gleaner Gas Station near the Bridge of Awe. I only mention this as it was nearby to where Kimberley got a puncture in her rear tyre. Fortunately, we had a repair kit with us and plugged the hole sufficiently to get back to the gas station for air. Our repair kit was lacking a blade for cutting the excess repair string off and we think it stuck to the road and was ripped out on the short journey. With a second string inserted, I popped in to see if I could borrow a blade, only to find they had them for sale in the hardware section of the general store. Can you imagine finding a petrol station that also sells 3 inch blades in Berkshire?
Kim & Dee
Kimberley’s tyre was close to the wear bars anyway by this point, so we called a tyre fitter back in Crieff who not only could fit her in the next day, but also had the specific tyres she wanted in stock and ready to go.
Top tip number three. The roads up in this part of the world are mostly the course gravel embedded in tar type that you may have encountered in Wales or the leafier parts of TVAM territory. These roads are really abrasive so make sure you have plenty of tread and take into account you’ll get less mileage than you think out of the rubber you have on.
Our last two riding days took in the full ‘Little Leaf Northeast’ route and on our last riding day, a hybrid route where we combined the start of the North loop with the Northeast loop in reverse specifically so that we could enjoy the A924 to Kirkmichael again. We stopped at the same Community shop again for more cake and coffee and a most delicious individual venison meat pie.
In our 10 days there, we were blessed with the most wonderful weather. Mostly sunny, not too hot, not too cold, though mornings were on the fresh side. We also scheduled our trip to be outside midge season. From what I read, most of the areas we rode in were not particularly prone to midges, but we felt it best to be on the safe side by going in April.
All in all, the trip to Scotland was well worth the long drive. Knowing what I know now, I’d say it could quite comfortably be done by bike all the way too if we’d not had the trailer available. All sorts of accommodation is available in the area, from swanky hotels to glamping pods. The Crieff Cloverleaf website includes plenty of advice on accommodation, places to eat and general information on making the best of your trip.
So, if you want to spread your wings further than the Thames Valley but don’t want to get on a ferry or Eurotunnel, Scotland might be just the place for you.
Jez leaves the house (in Woking) trying not to wake his wife. He does not succeed. He gets on his heavily-laden bike and pootles down the road, heading for the petrol station next to St Crispins to meet with David for the journey to Golgellau (pronounce as best you can – heard three separate versions so far!).
We meet up, Jez fills up and we head off. Jez created a route – first stop Oxford Services (not on the M40) and we made good time to get our first cup of coffee. David had advised Jez that he’d be on a sportsbike and so could the route be less…gnarly…than his usual preference? Jez (surprisingly!) acted and had planned the route with no roads with green in the middle!
Next stop is at Chipping Camden and the Bantam Tea Rooms – excellent place for a cuppa and some tea-cake. Proposed lunch was at the Cob House Countryside Park, where we met some other TVAMers en route to Llandriddod Wells. We were still full from mid-morning and so we had a cup of tea and continued. We next stopped at Aardvark Books in Brampton Bryan for lunch. Here we first heard the alternative to ‘Dolgellau’. Caused much hilarity!
We continued west, taking the B4355 out of Knighton, following the A489 and then the A470 back on to the A489 and over the pass between Mallwyd and Dolgellau. In the process we encountered the slowest car-transporter I have ever seen – the traffic behind was fun on the bike! We arrived at the farm in Dolgellau that was to be our base for the next couple of days around 5pm
We arrived at the farm in Dolgellau that was to be our base for the next couple of days around 5pm – the last to arrive! We were shown our rooms and bathrooms and then where the beer and tea were kept – important items!
We got to know each other: Jez Brown, David Naylor, Danny Wozny, Jon Draper, Mark Ward, Mary Hatton, Jess Luscombe and Tony Turner. We were all relatively nervous about the following day apart from Jon – who had been away from this aspect of motorcycling for a while and wanted to get back to it.
We are introduced to the term ‘Dick of the Day’ and encouraged the following day to keep an eye out for when people accidentally do something dumb. Falling off into a puddle etc. The equivalent of the Wooden Spoon but without the spoon – just the title.
Saturday 23rd April 09:00
Briefing. Jack is the trail leader. Steph is the sweeper. Pete and Darren are the folk keeping the newbies going where necessary. Jack gives a demo of how to stand on a bike when on a trail – and all encourage us to learn this skill as a part of the weekend. Mention is made of the protocols surrounding trail riding – leave enough room between yourself and those in front / be courteous to others / offer assistance where you can / don’t be a Dick.
We are told that the bike can move of its own accord beneath you – for those of you that have been green-laning or trail riding you’ll know about this. We didn’t – and the thought of it made us nervous. We were told how to stay loose on the bike – a tense rider will not enjoy the ride. When standing, don’t grip the bars as if they are the only thing between you and a grisly demise – stand as if you are going to poo into a toilet bowl from 2 feet above the seat – that sort of thing.
We get going. Jez is on a Himalayan and it feels steady on the road, although the knobbly tyres make it feel slightly bumpy – lol – as if I needed them to make it MORE bumpy! We follow a short route and find ourselves on a rock-strewn path. We stop and get our first practical lesson. “Keep the bike moving – sudden throttle will make the back wheel skid and make steering difficult – and look where you want to go. The bike will do the rest. Power and momentum.” Danny goes first. He gets to a lovely slow cruising speed then looks left – unfortunately he is a good five metres short of the 90 degree corner we are meant to be taking. Danny has the first fall – a contender for the DOTD! The guys get Danny and bike prepped again and he makes it around the corner, keeping the revs steady and looking where he wants to go. We all follow and make it to the top of the hill, where we are able to get a stunning view over Barmouth.
The day continues – more rock-strewn paths and then we stop for a while to let some 4×4 cars crawl away from us. This is also a superb area for us to tackle our first ruts. “The bike will go where it wants – BUT you can encourage it to go in the direction you want it to” we are told. “When you are in a rut, keep your feet close in OR lift them above the rut and paddle your way along if you don’t have the confidence” – this is excellent advice, but doesn’t really get into the brain until you’ve tried it…we give it a go. There are some offs and Mark decides to try and throw himself across the way. Jez tries to help but is in no position to a) stop without dropping the bike b) help him get the bike back up! Jez makes certain that Mark is moving and then shouts excuses as he rides past…Jez still feel bad about this, Mark.
Jez’ first gate comes up – we’ve been on relatively flat surfaces, but this is at the bottom of a slope and continues down. Jack pushes the gate back with his front wheel and leaves Jez to it…Jez tries to put the stand down on a patch of grass out of the way. Nope. Not happening. The angle of the slope is too steep and the bike will fall…Jez tries to turn the bike around and manages that, but now he’s in the way of everyone so hastily moves back to the left hand side and dig the stand into the soft soil. Jez jumps off the bike just in time to see Steph glide past me as I scramble back up the slope and shut the gate. Success! Now to get back on the bike and follow the others…
Next adventure is a downhill gravel (rock) trail. Whoever named this ‘green-laning’ seriously needs to update their naming conventions is all that can be said. The incline is a gentle slope but strewn – yes – with rocks. Again the advice is “Let the bike go where it wants – try not to fight it too much” Jez sets out on his turn – Jez is doing well. About half way down Jez experiences a sort of trans-dimensional twist as somehow Jez is immediately pointing left, whereas he’d been pointing straight down the slope literally a second ago. Jez manages to keep the bike upright and slowly potter (best word I can use here!) to the end where the others were parked. Jack flies down the incline and skids to a halt, nearly running into Darren’s bike and earning the potential DOTD award.
We stop for lunch – LUNCH? – we’ve surely been on the go for days, we feel, but no. Around four hours with plenty of water stops to keep us hydrated – feels like a lifetime!
We head to a petrol station to fill up the bikes – and as Jez puts the stand on the Himalayan down and gets off I hear a shout as it topples over. Jez is hugely embarrassed about this. The handle-bar is bent but nothing else appears to be damaged. Jez looks at the bike once more on its stand in disbelief. Jez has no explanation for this. Jack later advises that some Himalayans had been recalled since the swing arm gets stuck, not letting the suspension rise properly. As a consequence when I thought that the stand was down and all was well, the bike was literally balancing on its tyres. Jez felt better about this, but is still a contender for DOTD.
We continue for a few more miles then we start heading back to the farm and the thought of a shower and food warms us. A couple of the team decide that they will forgo the excitement and ask if there is a tarmac way back. Steph takes them back via tarmac – but we head back more or less the way we’d come cross country. Where we’d seen the 4x4s earlier we were advised to ‘stay right on the trail’ by Darren. Immediately three of the team decided that they knew better and started on the left! The way back was up rock ‘steps’ that we’d descended in the morning – they seemed bigger in the afternoon when heading upwards. These three all had difficulties and so we had some fun getting their bikes back upright and moving again, but we all made it to the top! Back down the other side and then to ‘Danny’s corner’ – this time heading downhill the skills we’d practised throughout the day made us feel good and we swept around the bend with nary a thought. Back into Dolgellau – more petrol for the bikes then back to the farm. Jack started repairing the bikes (those that needed it!). A hefty boot (apparently) adjusted my handlebars.
We all congratulated each other over an excellent days riding and had some first-rate conversation into the night, looking forward to the following day.
Jack was voted the DOTD as he was the most experienced rider to nearly crash into Darren’s bike! Phew! Jez escaped!
Note: Please be advised that you WILL fall off at some point as a beginner – this is all slow-speed stuff and the course is designed to help you get over the fear of dropping the bike – although preferably not onto concrete. It does not hurt! Pride may be damaged but in this learning environment with people explaining how things work and helping you back up this is one of the safest times I’ve felt on a bike!
Sunday 24th April 09:00
Briefing. Yesterday we’d gone south – today we were heading north. Jack again led the way and after 10 minutes we were heading down a fabulous single-lane – well, track – with over-hanging branches and animal tracks criss-crossing. Looking over the wall to the right we could see what appeared to be the trail we should have been on. We turned the bikes around (no mean feat!) and headed back to the last gap in the wall to join the correct route. Jack immediately gains nomination as DOTD. We continue through beautiful countryside and scorching weather (for Wales 15 degrees) plus of course picking up the occasional bike here and there and jumping on and off bikes to play the part of gate keeper. Fabulous!
The trails seemed a little harder this day – whether because we’d got used to the trails from the previous day or because we were tired from the day before or these were more advanced trails we don’t know! Travelling up a slight incline with large rocks in the middle Jez decided to try and make it over one of them (not intentional – bike decision) and ended up on his back on the right-hand side of the trail, laughing like a loon. Darren looked concerned until he heard me then helped me get back up and get the bike back upright. Confidence and skill improved for the whole group and we made (we thought) good progress. We came to a lovely trail sloping down to a bridge and on the other side of it we dismounted at the bottom of a 180 degree turn followed immediately by a 90 degree turn. Covered in small rocks and gravel, of course.
Darren and Jack made us walk the turns to get an idea of the way that we should go and then one by one we try to get up. “Stick to the inside of the hairpin then look for your route to go around the next bend” we were told. “Keep it smooth and steady”. Jess ‘You’re not the boss of me’ ignored all advice and revved around the corner, only requiring a small amount of push from Darren to make it through. Mary was similar. Jez was lucky and did not need help! Jez’ bike went where he wanted it to! Danny – well. The hairpin was good. Then the revs stopped as did the bike. As he toppled off the bike back down the hill we could see that the bike was good but he had rolled back down to where he’d started. Jez was videoing him at this point if you’d like to see it – but had to stop videoing because he was laughing too much. Danny looked to have the DOTD spot firmly in his grasp. We all made it to the top of the slope and rested for a moment. We’d been promised that a decision would be made as to whether we’d be going up ‘Tarmac Hill’ – a 200m stretch of gravelly/rocky/steppy incline that entices you to head for the only bit of tarmac at the top…but this hairpin/turn combination had been a test for us and we’d been found wanting. We had a chat and although disappointed that we wouldn’t do it this time, it would give us something to aim for next time we came trail riding in Wales. Safety first and a wise decision. Thank you Darren!
After this we trekked across some lovely ruts (not) and Mark tried to throw himself into a gate post. He seemed dazed but physically OK and we continued towards lunch. This was not a DOTD contender since there was genuine concern that Mark had damaged himself – however, he continued and so did we. Across the valley we were shown our next destination – a hill with winding paths – it looked awesome. We got to a very sharp left hand corner where immediately after I had gate duty. After the last rider was through Darren waited for me and we confidently set off along the trail. Beautiful scenery / side of a hill / slightly deeper ruts than I’d like but manageable. Puddle. Appeared to be about 20 feet of water in the left rut – no visibility of what was below the surface. 5 feet of water in the right rut with clearly visible tyre tracks from some of the other group. I tried to get onto the right rut – failed. “Ah well” I thought as I plunged into the puddle, giving the bike a bit more oomph to keep momentum. As the front wheel dipped into what appeared was a hidden dip, I went over the handlebars and landed on my back, luckily on a very soft piece of ground. Since I landed in a pile of weeds my new nickname was born – “Tumbleweed”. Definitely DOTD material if anyone was watching, that is. Unfortunately, Darren was keeping a very close eye on me! We struggled to get the bike out of the muddy rut – well, Darren struggled – I helped where I could. We re-joined the group and since my Himalayan had the engine light on we went through a few ‘resets’ to get the light off. Nothing worked, so Jack asked for all of the strong folk in the team to tip the bike upwards to drain any water from the exhaust. This done the engine light went off and the bike started and continued to run – hardy beasts, these bikes!
Without further ado we meandered to lunch.
Steph re-joined us for lunch and then left making her way back to the farm to sort out the running of business as usual. Jack and Darren finished off the day by taking us across a farmland area, then down what appeared to be a walking trail (!), then back along the road to Barmouth where we got the toll bridge across to Dolgellau and back to the petrol station before heading back to the farm.
Much singing and dancing was had in the evening celebrating our successes and commiserating any falls. Jez was indeed given the new name Tumbleweed and did get the DOTD award! I’ll say nothing of the entertainments for the evenings we were there, since to describe them will not do them any justice at all.
A few questions to myself…Did I enjoy it? Yes. Did I enjoy the way the course is presented to us? Yes.
Did I fall off more than once? Yes! Will I go again? Damn right!
A HUGE thank you to Steph, Pete, Darren and Jack – we definitely would not have had that best weekend without you.
So here I am at stupid o’clock in the morning – couldn’t sleep in following my return from the Isle of Wight Mini Tour yesterday. There are all sort of thoughts and memories buzzing around in my head so, in true Julie Andrews – Sound of Music style (never saw the film and that’s the truth), “Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start”.
I passed my test (IAM, or the big “I, am” as my wife calls it) more years ago than I like to admit, and spent many years on the committee of MAM (Middlesex AM) as Social Sec and Rides Co-ordinator. MAM and I parted company when I moved to Bracknell. I joined TVAM and the local RoSPA group and, following an old cliché “You get out what you put in”, I was keen to get to know people in TVAM and make a contribution. I also do the odd RoSPA ride sometimes.
It started when a certain antipodean young lady, and arguable the most conscientious Back Marker I’ve ever had the pleasure to ride with, came back from a TVAM day trip to the Isle of Wight last year. “We have to do that again and maybe have an overnight”, and that was it, with the “monkey on back” I decided to Go For It.
I managed to get 9 single rooms dirt cheap on Booking.com, advertised the idea on WOBMOB groups.io and all of sudden, and almost overnight, I had 20 names on the database. I received an email from Chris Brownlee warning me not to get into the realms of “Package Tour” so took his advice and contacted the TVAM Travel Agent (https://tvam.notjusttravel.com). I then contacted the hotel and the manager was more than helpful. He told me to cancel with Booking.com, gave me a better room rate and offered to get discount off the ferry crossing (£15 saving per ticket). I avoided the Package Tour by asking everyone to pay their own ferry ticket and hotel room. We ended up with a total of 19 on the trip.
After several sessions on the PC, pinching roads from a number of TVAM ride-outs, the breakfast stop from a RoSPA ride, and Google searching for interesting stuff, I cobbled together a cunning plan. Spreadsheet time (I’m famous for them with the Chilton Motorcycle Club – another part of my biking history not mentioned in the boring paragraph).
Riders, bikes, emails and ICE contacts captured, rooms allocated and breakfast/dinner orders accounted for, (Red and Green Yes/No conditional formatted check columns – I mention this for the spreadsheet nerds) I proceeded to inundate the unfortunate attendees with emails, email revisions, requests for menu selections, MRA invitations, Basecamp .gpx files and, and – Stop! Too much!
We had a great mix of NObs, LObs, TObs, Full Members, Associates and three who hadn’t been on a group ride before and one old friend and member of the Solent Group. It all went well.
The light rain and 2,000 cyclists on Sunday didn’t spoil anything. I could have done without the double decker bus on one of the nicest progressive roads across the island. I could have overtaken on a couple of occasions but you have to consider the 18 others behind and the likelihood of a “cluster-f…” (as my son used to say) at the next junction whilst waiting for the rest of the group to catch up.
We had a couple of interesting moments, nothing dangerous, but I can’t go into detail – What happens on tour, stays on tour.
I’ve always maintained that motorcycling is a solitary experience (unless you are grouped-up with state-of-the-art intercoms). You have to concentrate on what you’re doing and don’t have time for much else. It’s stopping that makes it all come to life.
120 colourful cyclists riding off the Chain Bridge at East Cowes was a sight to behold. I was a little bit disappointed they didn’t knock each other over and fall into a big heap; it came close.
The chat on the petrol station forecourt when you realise that there are two others in the group that have worked in the same environment as you for years and know many of your old work colleagues (it’s like LinkedIn for real).
Then the Australian Scotsman who has similar tastes in music and whose wife attends the same art class as your wife.
The comment from a NOb “that wasn’t an A ride, that was MotoGP,” as we stopped with big smiles after the TT – Military Road circuit. Riding is only 50% at most. I was very happy with the outcome and asked everyone to send me their memory in a few words.
I won’t bore you with all the comments but here’s a few to make you smile:
By the time we got to a fab and much-wanted full breakfast the group was running really smoothly.
Why not call this 3Ws? Wight, tour of the island Wisteria, we saw a lot of this on our way round Wild garlic, we could smell this as we rode through the IoW countryside
Around the proposed TT course three times which got better each time we did the circuit, fantastic!!
So let’s talk about fuel! Most bikes are OK with E10 but we had to find another station that had E5 for the 750 Honda, but one BMW owner thought his bike would run smoother on diesel. It was sorted and he made it to the ferry on time.
A great ride back home which included a tour of Basingstoke and the Town Centre (sorry, my mistake) and all the roundabouts. Thanks, Neil, for holding us all together and for our Back Marker, Allie, who rounded us all up.
Planning, preparation and execution couldn’t be faulted!
It was a great fun ride and a great opportunity for me to meet more TVAM riders.
Had a few learning moments.
Great routes, great pit stops and great company!
We had an absolute blast and are now sat enjoying a beer digesting just how much we enjoyed it.
Many thanks for letting me join the trip. I enjoyed it immensely.
Your organisation made everything very easy, the whole group commented how good it had been (I’ll take that!)
There aren’t enough words to describe the absolute and utter delight H is – and the IoW was just as charming, views are just as stunning, the roads are truly sweet.
My lessons learnt? – how to ride a motorcycle… by riding a motorcycle – LOTS!!
Here’s to the next time. Get your names down early I think there’s another monkey about to jump on my back. Isle of Wight, Minehead, Sidmouth, Bude – not sure which but watch this space.
I’m writing this just prior to the Observer Weekend where, as well as riding some great roads in Wales, we’re going to discuss Associate training, giving feedback and updates to the National Observer validation route.
It’s not often I get to make an announcement in this column of this magnitude, but I’m very pleased to be able to announce that we will, after a significant break, be resuming our flagship Look, Lean, Roll course.
We were using the DVSA Motorcycle Manoeuvring Areas (MMAs) for LLR, but access to the MMAs stopped with Covid-19 restrictions and now that the restrictions have been lifted the MMAs are so busy with tests that we are unable to get access. Limitations on numbers that could be on an MMA at any time meant that courses were smaller, and we had to run with two different venues to cater for demand. It is likely, even if we were to get access to the MMAs, that they would also now be too expensive to make the courses worthwhile.
We have, therefore, for some time been searching for a new venue and we’re very pleased that RAF Benson is allowing us access to the helicopter landing area for Look, Lean, Roll.
We still have some issues to iron out, and we have to ‘construct’ the course to fit the new venue, but it is hoped that the new courses will be available later in the summer; keep an eye out on Groups.io for the announcement and how to book a course.
The size of the new venue means that we’ll only need to run one course per month. This means that we only need one LLR team, so we will, therefore, merge the two current teams into one. We’d like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to Mel Hakhnazarian for setting up the extra LLR team and running the LLR courses at Greenham.
Many of you will be aware of Rapid Training, who offer advanced riding skills and also carry out our Observer riding skills checks every two years. Rapid Training has put significant effort into developing its courses over the past couple of years and we’re keen to develop our relationship with them.
We’re very pleased to be able to announce, therefore, that Rapid Training is offering a significant discount on its courses to TVAM members. As well as a 10% discount there are deeper discounts on their flagship courses such as Bikemaster and Roadmaster. Hopefully by the time this goes to print you’ll have seen the discount codes etc. on Groups.io.
We’re very grateful to Rapid Training for these discounts and we hope that TVAM members will take advantage of the fantastic training and trips that Rapid Training offer.
So a great month from a training perspective, with training updates for Associates, Full Members and Observers.
Here’s to a great summer of riding!
Chris Brownlee Chief Observer
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