Tag: chief observer

From The Saddle (March 2024)

Posted on | by Barrie Smith

This is my first “From the Saddle” article since being elected as Chief Observer by the membership at the AGM. I’d like to start by doing two things. Firstly, thanking you for your vote of confidence in me to serve this outstanding Club as your Chief Observer. Secondly, thanking Adrian Ellison for taking the reins as Chief Observer in 2023. Adrian’s workload in his day job meant that he didn’t have the capacity to continue the role as Chief Observer and we thank him for his efforts last year.

TVAM has had a succession of outstanding Chief Observers since the Club was formed. My passion for seeing excellent training delivered across the board will hopefully stand me in good stead to be mentioned in the same sentence as many of my predecessors. I hope that I can support and deliver on the membership’s expectations and do it in a light-hearted and fun manner. The late, great, Dave Jacobi was a true advocate of making TVAM a fun place to be. After all, we do this for pleasure above anything.

We have a great calendar already starting to take shape for 2024. Look Lean Roll is starting back at Benson in April and BikeCraft is also being delivered. These are both outstanding courses for Associates on their journey to passing their IAM RoadSmart test. They’re also great for Full Members who may have just purchased a new motorcycle and really want to get to grips with it. Castle Combe Skills Day is also in the web shop for Tuesday 21st May. This is a TVAM exclusive day, and our own TVAM Track Guides are available throughout the day to assist you in developing your skills in cornering, acceleration and braking on a fantastic surface without anyone coming the other way.

Our two premier training weekends, 7Ws and 3Rs are heading to Wales in May and June respectively. 7Ws, focuses on Associates, and 3Rs, focuses on Full Members, and are great weekends to combine training and socialising over three full days on the best roads Wales has to offer.

On 20th February, many of you will have seen an email from IAM RoadSmart about course price increases from 1st April ’24. The Advance Rider Course (ARC) will rise to £215 from £175 and various other courses are also rising in price significantly. If you know anyone that is considering the Advanced Rider Course, then get them to join TVAM before the end of March to benefit from the current rate. How the IAM choose to price their products is beyond the control of TVAM, however it’s hugely disappointing that we had no prior knowledge of this increase coming in. Some members have taken to groups.io to share their
thoughts on the situation and the Committee are actively considering an appropriate and measured response to the IAM.

TVAM Observers are renowned throughout IAM RoadSmart as some of the finest Observers within the IAM. It is down to a combination of our training regime, and willingness of our Observers to continually push themselves to be the very best that they can be, that ensures we maintain the highest possible standards. We demand a huge amount from all of our Observers and not one of them is paid a penny for their services. It’s therefore been difficult to read on the Observer group that Observers are struggling to get reasonable rates of insurance for carrying out their voluntary role within TVAM and IAMRS. “Don’t we get discount from the IAM’s preferred insurance provider?” I hear you all cry. Well, apparently not everyone gets a great deal. I have read experiences where insurance has doubled, or an Observer’s company have pulled away from insuring Observers whilst carrying out their duties for TVAM and IAM. This leaves the Observer trying to find alternative cover, often at greatly inflated prices.

My greatest concern is ensuring that our Observers are adequately insuring themselves. If you are insured through Cornmarket Insurance or Surety, the IAM’s
preferred insurance broker, as long as you have informed them that you are an IAM Observer then it is noted on your insurance and you should be covered for observing whilst riding your motorcycle. If you are with an alternative insurance provider, it is important that you explain this when purchasing a policy and it may be prudent to look at the IAM dashboard and download their ‘bike observer insurance letter’ document and share this with your insurance company. Please see Tom Peck’s post of 27th February on the Observer section of groups.io for a direct link to the document. Please check your insurance and ensure that you are adequately insured for Observing.

That’s about it from me, other than to say I am happy to come out to meet with you in your social teams and happy to discuss my role as Chief Observer if you would like to invite me along. Kevin, our Chair, is also very happy to come along and chat to you all.

Have fun, stay safe and I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on a training course or out on the road socially.

Barrie Smith
TVAM Chief Observer

From The Saddle (August 2020)

Posted on | by Chris Brownlee

Hi everyone, and welcome to another Covid-19-government-guideline-friendly Slipstream!

Whilst there have been some adjustments to the government guidelines for Covid-19, the changes have had little impact on what we can do as a club. In England, we can still conduct social (and socially distanced) runs for up to six people, and we can carry out observed runs for up to three people, so Trainee Observers can participate too.

The smaller groups for social runs have continued to be very popular and teams are organising multiple runs to cater for demand. This has only been possible because so many have stepped up to  volunteer as Run Leaders. If you would like to have a go at run-leading then have a word with your team leader – this is a great time to start. Smaller groups mean less pressure, and shorter runs are very popular. There is plenty of help available within your team and any Full Member can lead a run. And you make loads of friends being a Run Leader too!

The smaller groups are proving so popular that we are intending to continue to allow Run Leaders to restrict the size of their runs even when we exit the Covid-19 world of guidelines (whenever that may be!).

There is an article on page 7 on Membership by Portfolio. You will read that Membership by Portfolio provides an alternative route to full membership of IAM RoadSmart and TVAM for those that are put off by the prospect of a formal test. Nationally, around 50% of Associates that embark on an Advanced Driver or Advanced Rider Course never actually take their test, so the portfolio route has been introduced to improve this. If you know someone that hesitates to join TVAM because of the test, then please let them know about this new route. It’s worth noting that we expect to keep the standard as high as it is via the test route!

Other activities, particularly face-to-face social meetings and most of our trips and courses, including Look, Lean, Roll continue to have to take a back seat for the time being. Local teams are conducting video meetings and the virtual St Crispin’s meeting at 9am on the third Sunday is gaining in popularity – we even have test pass announcements now too as IAM RoadSmart has re-commenced the advanced tests. The virtual St Crispin’s also has ‘breakout sessions’ for the Trainee Observers and for those interested in becoming an Observer. See details on page 4 for the link to join the virtual meeting which is also on the Groups.io calendar.

Traffic levels are building, and not everyone on the road appears to have fully adjusted to the them, so do take time to apply the advanced riding principles – and have fun!

Best wishes

Chris Brownlee
Chief Observer

From The Saddle (June 2020)

Posted on | by Chris Brownlee

Well, at least this month we can accurately call this piece ‘from the saddle’ once more. I hope that you’ve been able to take advantage of the relaxing of the lockdown guidelines to get out on your bike. We are continuing to advise that you build up to lengthy or faster-paced runs, take time to rebuild your skills and continue to bear in mind that we are all acting as ambassadors for motorcycling.

As of 1st June the government guidelines have allowed smaller social runs of up to 6 people, as long as social distancing rules are adhered to, and it’s great to see that some of the local teams have been organising runs on this basis. Although it’s meant  planning the mid-point stops a little more carefully, and sometimes taking their own refreshments, these smaller social runs have proved very popular and enjoyable; I hope you get a chance to join in.

And from 15th June we have been able to conduct Observed Rides once again and I’m very pleased that we can include our Trainee Observers in Observed Rides. For the time being we need to restrict Observed Rides to one Associate. Again, we would advise that you take time to build up your skills.

The current guidelines mean that we can’t unfortunately meet at St Crispin’s or for other social events and meetings. The virtual meetings have been widely used in the club by local teams and the committee and it’s great to see people staying in touch and up to date this way. We will be holding a virtual St. Crispin’s meeting on 21st June at 9:00am (see Zoom link opposite) so please ‘drop in’ to the virtual meeting. The Training Team will be there to answer any questions you might have and also to discuss the Observer Training Programme for anyone that is interested in becoming an Observer.

We have taken the difficult decision to cancel the Observer Weekend this year. This was planned for July, in Wales, and the guidelines mean that this won’t now be possible. We have considered other venues and dates, but our concern for the safety of our members, and the uncertainty over future guidelines, meant that this wasn’t possible. We are holding a short online session for Observers on Saturday 11th July to cover some of the items from that cancelled weekend.

Things are looking up. Although there are still some difficulties around the larger meetings and events, we can resume smaller social rides – and Observed Rides – and these are key activities of the club. We have adopted online virtual meetings far more effectively than most and this has allowed us to stay in touch and up to date. If we are sensible in our approach then we may be able to extend our activities further, as guidelines allow. We will keep you up to date with the latest changes, and how they apply to TVAM, via groups.io and in the meantime enjoy your riding and stay safe.

Best wishes

Chris Brownlee
Chief Observer

From The Saddle (April 2020)

Posted on | by Chris Brownlee

Although this article from me every other month is titled ‘From the Saddle,’ it appears that it may be some time before we can get out on our bikes again.

I was thinking back to February St Crispin’s when we took the unusual step of cancelling the observed rides and social rides that Sunday due to the bad weather. It’s always a difficult decision, especially when making it in advance of the day, to judge whether or not we should go ahead. Of course, we’re all ‘thinking riders’ (aren’t we?) so we might be able to leave the decision to individuals. We also have a duty of care, however, and we need to ensure that those coming to the meeting have a reasonable expectation of whether they’re going to get a ride or not. I think we made the right call that day and there are no badges for attempting to ride in inappropriate conditions.

That decision, however, has become somewhat insignificant given the scale of decisions we had to make in March to suspend all riding activities and all face-to-face meetings and events. Of course, with the country in lockdown mode and only essential travel permitted those decisions have now been overtaken by advice from the Government, and from IAM RoadSmart. We are continuing to review our activities in light of their advice, and we expect this situation to continue for some time.  We will continue to try and provide updates on a rolling basis.

So, what to do?

Some teams have transferred their regular meetings to an online meeting. Different technologies are being used and it’s good to see the Team Leaders swapping notes on what is working best. Some teams are using the sessions to discuss learning opportunities and I’m looking forward to a session on Saturday on off-siding and positioning.

The events team is rescheduling on a rolling basis to try and have a full calendar of events ready for the time we can get back on our bikes.

Why not start to plan those trips you’ve always promised to do? There’s help available from others in your local team or in TVAM, so if you’re stuck then just ask for help on groups.io.  Like you, there are others stuck at home looking for something constructive to do.

Take a look at that Advanced Riding Course material you’ve always meant to catch up on or take a more measured approach to re-reading Roadcraft, or Full Control… Don’t forget we have an online knowledge quiz available – there’s a link to the quiz from groups.io (https://tvam.groups.io/g/allmembers/wiki/home) and yes, the results are anonymous!

Lastly, please take a minute to check that those you know are safe and well, including those in the club. A couple of emails or phone calls are an easy to way to stay in touch, especially if you haven’t heard from someone or if they haven’t been active on groups.io or in your local team.

I do hope that we’ll be able to get out riding in the near future, particularly as the weather is looking so nice, and in the meantime please continue to follow the guidelines and stay safe.

Best wishes

Chris Brownlee
Chief Observer

From The Saddle (February 2020)

Posted on | by Chris Brownlee

It’s only been a month since the Annual General Meeting in January. It was great to see so many of you there to support this and, for the first time, there was food left over!

Although most of the time at the AGM was spent reviewing the last TVAM year, we also spent some time looking at the objectives for the current year. We will be spending time as a committee to develop the activities to deliver these objectives and we will, of course, keep you informed as to progress.

A couple of the training-related activities that have already started are some further intensive Associate Training Weekends and a trial of Membership by Portfolio. Following the success of last year’s pilot Associate Training Weekend, the first of these weekends for 2020 will be held on the 4th and 5th April.  There’s more information on this in a short article from Barrie Smith of the Training Team on page 16.  If you’re an Associate and you think this approach might help then please contact the Training Team.

We are also running a trial of Membership by Portfolio. This will allow Associates to gain Full Membership of IAM RoadSmart without taking the formal, external riding assessment. We hope that this approach will enable us to attract more members that are put off by the prospect of a test, and also retain those Associates that feel they’re not able to successfully attempt the test. If you’re such an Associate, or if you know someone that might be more likely to join TVAM if there’s no test, then please let the Training Team know (trainingteam@tvam.org)

The very popular Biker Down course has been revised to bring the first-aid element of the course up to date and in line with current practice. This course, which is free, is a potential life-saver and will be of use to anyone that is first on the scene of an incident. The dates for courses in Thames Valley will be published (if they haven’t already) on the Biker Down Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/bikerdownthamesvalley/.  I would strongly recommend attendance at this course.

Although we’re pretty much still in the depths of winter, it’s great to see so many runs and meetings happening, with people taking advantage, often at short notice, of the better weather days to get out and ride bikes. The calendar is being populated with social rides, weekends away and overseas trips – and lots of them are filling up quickly. There are trips to France, Germany, Spain as well as lots of UK trips – including Wales and Scotland. There are more details of all the runs, weekends and trips in Slipstream and on the groups.io calendar – https://tvam.groups.io/g/allmembers/calendar.

I hope to see you on a ride soon.

Best wishes

Chris Brownlee
Chief Observer

From The Saddle (November 2019)

Posted on | by Chris Brownlee

In my last “from the saddle” piece in September I mentioned that we were planning to trial a weekend of training for Associates. The weekend went ahead as planned on 12th and 13th October and each Associate that attended had four observed runs over the weekend, each with a different Observer. We combined the individual feedback from these runs with some group discussions and theory reviews to help build the overall learning experience. It was quite an intensive experience for both the Associates and Observers involved and there was no time to practice the issues highlighted on a run before moving on to the next session and then the next run.

The feedback from the weekend was overwhelmingly positive and the Associates felt that they’d been able to make a step-change forward with their riding. Of course, it will take more riding to consolidate the learning. The objective of kick-starting, or re-starting, some Associate training was fully met.

We will, therefore be scheduling some further sessions for next year. If you are an Associate that could do with a bit of a re-start, or you know of one, then please drop an email to the Training Team (trainingteam@tvam.org) and we’ll start the scheduling process. I’d like to say thank you to the Observers for their participation and support and a special “thank you” to Barrie Smith of the Training Team for the theory sessions, group discussions and logistics management on the day.

We’re also starting the trial process for “Group Sign Off” (which is also known as Membership By Portfolio). This is a process whereby Associates can gain Full Membership of IAM RoadSmart through a monitored series of observed runs without the usual formal advanced riding test at the end. If you’re being put off by the advanced test, or you know someone that might join TVAM were it not for the test, then please let me know as we’d like to discuss this with you as part of the trial. We’re hopeful that by setting proper evaluation criteria for the trial we can understand the benefits and resource implications of this approach for Associates as well as for the club. If the trial is successful then we will seek to roll this out on a general basis available to all, although due to the nature of the trial this may take some time to fully evaluate.

I’m writing this at the end of October, the end of the TVAM year. We’re pulling the various reports together and we’ll soon be putting all this in the Annual Report for 2018 – 2019 which will give an overview of the activities of the club over the past year. This will be followed by the AGM at the St. Crispin’s meeting on 19th January; please put this date in your diary now as we’d like as many of you as possible to attend this important event.

Keep an eye on the weather in the meantime and hope to see you on a nice winter run.

Chris Brownlee
Chief Observer

From The Saddle (September 2019)

Posted on | by Chris Brownlee

Hi everyone

One of the key activities of the club is the training we carry out to enable our Associates to put into practice a range of advanced riding skills and become ‘thinking riders’; truly Advanced Riders in every sense of that phrase. And to carry out that task we need Observers. TVAM has developed a comprehensive and structured programme to enable Advanced Riders to become the best Observers within IAM RoadSmart. With support from a mentor and the Training Team, the training programme builds observing and coaching skills to enable those with the commitment and drive to become TVAM Observers.

We keep our Observers up to date with specific sessions on riding skills, knowledge and coaching skills, through activities such as the Aardvark riding programme with Rapid Training, the Observer Day and the Observer Weekend.

If you’ve passed your Advanced Test and you’re interested in becoming an Observer then please come along to one of the talks with a member of the Training team at 8.45am in the library at St Crispin’s, or drop an email to observerinterest@tvam.org.

We are always looking for ways to make our training more effective and you will recall that I mentioned some potential weekend sessions for Associates in a previous ‘from the saddle’ article. These sessions will be slightly more ‘intensive’ than normal and are likely to comprise observed runs in the morning and afternoon of both days of a weekend. I’m pleased to be able to tell you that the first trial of these weekend sessions is planned for the 12th and 13th October. We are working on a suitable venue and we will be discussing with the Observers how we will resource the sessions. I hope to have some more information on this very soon.

I’d like to remind run leaders to submit social run report forms for all TVAM (and local team) runs. The social run reports provide an important measure of engagement for TVAM, as well as an indication of the activity levels of run leaders and back markers.

Look forward to catching up with you all on a social run or trip somewhere soon.

Chris Brownlee
Chief Observer

From The Saddle (July 2019)

Posted on | by Chris Brownlee

I hope you’re all enjoying the summer weather and making the most of the runs and trips available.

As I write this, we’re preparing for the Observer Weekend, which is an important event in the Observer and Training calendar. We will be taking some key themes from the Observer training day we held earlier in the year and developing these into practical sessions that can be applied on the road. The Observer Weekend provides an opportunity for communications and updates with the Observers, is partly a ‘thank you’ for all the work the Observers put in and allows the Observers and Training Team to further develop and share best practice.

There are two initiatives that will be discussed at the Observer weekend that have a much wider relevance to the club:

  1. We are planning on organising some weekend sessions for Associates. These will be slightly more ‘intensive’ than normal and could comprise observed runs in the morning and afternoon of both days of a couple of weekends. This should give the selected candidates up to 8 observed runs over a couple of weekends.
  2. We are planning on running a trial of the IAM RoadSmart scheme ‘membership by portfolio’ which was previously known as ‘group sign off’. This scheme gives a local group, such as TVAM, the ability to qualify Associates as Full Members without the requirement for an exter-nally conducted assessment. The intention is to attract and retain those members who are currently put off by having to face an external examiner (however friendly they might appear on the day).

We will be discussing both of the above at the Observer Weekend so that we have criteria in place to evaluate the trials and we can judge what resources we might need to ensure they are effective. I hope to be able to update you on these initiatives soon.
With lots more riding going on in the summer weather I want to remind everyone that if you are unfortunate enough to suffer an incident whilst riding then please let the Training Team know by dropping an email to incident@tvam.org. We would like to gather more information about incidents so that we can evaluate our training programmes and all information will be treated confidentially.

Look forward to catching up with you all on a social run or trip somewhere soon.

Best wishes

Chris Brownlee
Chief Observer

From The Saddle (May 2019)

Posted on | by Chris Brownlee

Well, the weather is certainly improving, the run calendar is filling up and we’re all able to take advantage of the wide variety on offer.

Getting out on social runs is really what the club is all about. Not only is it great fun to ride with like-minded, skilled riders – it’s great for improving skills too. There’s no better place to put into practice the concepts of self-evaluation and the thinking riding to  great effect. A fun way to improve – what could be better?

We have a great assortment of runs and trips available that allow many of us to enjoy riding on new roads and visit new places. I’d like to extend my thanks to all the run leaders and back markers for the effort they put into planning and executing their runs and trips. If you’d like to lead a run, then please get in touch with the events team at events@tvam.org and they’ll help you put it together. And don’t forget that, whilst it’s not a requirement to lead a run, the Run Leading/Back Marking course will help you  develop the specific skills and techniques for leading and back marking a run.

To help encourage more people to join social runs we have revised the run classification so that those new to social runs can feel confident that the type of run they’ve chosen is appropriate to their skill level. You can see the run classification on page 19.  Whatever type of social run you decide on, get out there and enjoy it.

The other key activity within TVAM is, of course, our training. And to implement many of our training programmes, including Associate training, we need Observers. We’re looking for more people to join our Observer training programme so that we can extend  the levels of training we offer. Whilst the ability to ride well is a key part of being an Observer, the most important attributes are enthusiasm, commitment and a willingness to learn. We have a very comprehensive and well-structured training programme to  develop the required coaching skills so that our Observers are the best within IAM RoadSmart.

If you’ve passed your Advanced Test and you’d like to develop your coaching skills to help and coach others then please consider taking up the challenge. To find out more about becoming an Observer, come along to the informal chat in the library at 9am on St Crispin’s Sundays or drop an email to observerinterest@tvam.org and one of the Training Team will be in touch.

That’s it for now, I’m off to get my diary sorted for the runs and trips I want to do – before they fill up!

Ride safe.

Chris Brownlee
Chief Observer

From The Saddle (March 2019)

Posted on | by Chris Brownlee

The record temperatures this February encouraged a lot of bikes out on to the road. At H Café on Sunday there were many bikes that appeared to have spent the previous months carefully cocooned in garages, having been lovingly cleaned before being put away. I imagine that many riders spent an hour or two cleaning and checking their bikes before a Sunday run in the warm, dry and sunny weather. Everything looked shiny, bright and ready for action.

Some of the riders, though, looked decidedly rusty. Contrasting with the polish that had been applied to their bikes, the lack of polish in their riding was clear. It struck me that we’re generally very good at making sure our bikes are ready to ride, but less good at making sure that we are. The IAM SAFE checklist that Andy Slater discussed in a previous issue is a good way to check before each ride, but it’s also important to recognise where our skills may have slipped when, for example, we haven’t been riding as much as normal due to poor weather. So please take the time to build up your riding skills when you’ve been off the bike for a while and make sure that your riding is well polished – not just your bike.

Keeping skills up is also a key theme for our Observer Day being held on 2nd March. Almost all our Observers and Trainee Observers are coming along to a day of workshops and discussions, prepared by the Training Team, to keep their knowledge and skills up to date. The day is a classroom-based day, and together with our Observer Weekend in July (which is focused around riding), is designed to keep our Observer skills honed around the four key areas of being an effective Observer:

  • Creating a learning environment
  • Knowing your stuff
  • Relating riding issues to the System
  • Riding to the IAM RoadSmart Advanced Standard (as a minimum)

    I am grateful that so many of our Observers are keen to continue to improve their knowledge and
    skills since these form an important element of the training and development for Associates and Full Members and enable us to develop truly ‘thinking riders’ that view Advanced Riding as an ongoing skill development.

    If you’re interested in becoming an Observer then please come along to one of the introductory discus- sions with the Training Team at 10:00am at the St. Crispin’s meeting, or drop an email to observerinter- est@tvam.org

    Safe riding

From the Saddle (January 2019)

Posted on | by Chris Brownlee

Happy New Year!

It doesn’t seem as if it was a year ago that I was elected to the role of Chief Observer but with the AGM later this month it must be! The AGM is an important event in the TVAM calendar and provides you the opportunity to elect those who will run the club on your behalf, find out what has been done over the previous year and what is planned for the forthcoming year. I hope that as many of you as possible will attend the AGM, which will be immediately after the normal January St Crispin’s meeting. There’s also the Motojumble sale that morning too, so if you’re after a used bargain or have extra stuff to sell, this is the event for you.

Two key events for Observers in 2019 will be the Observer Day on Saturday 2nd March and the Observer Weekend from 5th to 7th July. The Observer Day is a classroom-based day with workshops prepared by the Training Team on topics of interest to Observers to help keep knowledge and coaching skills up to date.

The Observer Weekend will be held in Llandrindod Wells and, building on the theory sessions from the Observer Day, will focus on keeping riding skills up to date.

Both events are open to all Observers and Trainee Observers and I would strongly encourage attendance at both. There will be more information coming soon so please put the dates in your diaries now.

Winter is traditionally a time when many of us ride a little less due to the poor weather. It’s important not to let those riding skills get too rusty however, so I’d encourage you to take advantage of those days when the weather is good and get out on social rides or observed rides whenever possible.

There are also specific training-oriented weekends coming up. Kicking off with 7Ws in March, there is also the 3Rs at the end of May with a trip to Yorkshire. These events provide opportunities for Associates and Full Members to get away for a weekend and take advantage of informal observed runs – a perfect way to improve skills, get some time in the saddle and enjoy a weekend’s riding on some great routes. More details in the calendar section and on the web calendar at www.tvam.org

And if you can’t get away for a weekend, why not book an Enhanced Advanced Ride (EAR) to brush up your riding skills with a half or full day’s observed riding?

Don’t forget to carry out your regular bike checks (e.g. using POWDDERSS) to ensure everything is working as it should, and keep a check on yourself (using I AM SAFE) to make ensure that you are too.

I hope you have a great start to 2019 and that we all manage to get some good riding.

From The Saddle (October 2018)

Posted on | by Chris Brownlee

I’m writing this having just returned from a weekend riding in Wales on the 7Ws trip.

There’s something very different about riding in Wales; there’s no single thing, but the combination of (generally) good road surfaces, lower levels of traffic, great scenery and roads that bend and twist, as well as vary in elevation, produces a great riding experience that ‘advanced’ riding allows you to take full advantage of. Looking well ahead and maximising the Information part of the System enable the ride to really flow without significant interruption and the Position phase keeps me safe whilst using the view to maximum benefit.

Riding home on Sunday required the usual adjustments to riding, with more focus on the higher levels of traffic, busier roads and worsening road surface.

The 7Ws weekend is one of the key training riding events in the club calendar and with approximately 70 bikes attending, it’s also one of the largest. Getting this organised twice a year is no mean feat and the 7Ws team does a great job of making this weekend accessible and enjoyable for all, and particularly appropriate for Associates.

It was good to see the ‘I AM SAFE’ philosophy, as discussed by Andy Slater in last month’s Slipstream, being actively discussed and implemented by everyone on the trip. It was clear that anyone that didn’t feel up to riding could decide not to take part in a ride and there was even a high degree of forward planning for this in the bar the evenings before the rides!

Sean Westlake, who is now an instructor with Rapid Training, entertained everyone with his views, and tips, on ‘Riding in Wales’ and Sean is now offering three and four day tours, with coaching, for anyone that wants to explore some of the lesser-known routes with a smaller group. You can contact Sean at sean.westlake@me.com for further information.

The focus on the 7Ws weekend is, of course, training, and it was great to see everyone discussing their experiences and building confidence on the roads. Time in the saddle on good routes is a great way to build experience and riding skills. Adding in informal observation for Associates and Full Members means that there’s a bit of extra input too to get maximum benefit from time on these roads.

This philosophy is extended to our other club training weekends, such as 3Rs and Rutland Rally and I’d encourage everyone to try and get away on at least one or two training weekends with the club. They’re great fun, help you build your social network in the club and really develop your riding skills in an encouraging environment.

Talking of riding skills, after some delay, we’re finally re-launching the Enhanced Advanced Ride (EAR) process. I’d like to thank Sarah Chandler and the Green Team for helping to redefine the process. The EAR is a half or full-day ride with an Observer and is normally for two Full Members. Designed to be an evaluation and coaching session, the aim is to help keep your riding skills up to scratch. And it’s great fun, and free (well, you’ll buy the tea as is usual on an Observed ride). If you’d like to take advantage of an EAR then send an email to enhancedadvanced@tvam.org

Although the nights are starting to draw in, and the weather is starting to get a little cooler, there are always some great riding days to be had in the Autumn, so do take the opportunity to join social rides, and trips, and keep those riding skills up.

From The Saddle (June 2018)

Posted on | by Chris Brownlee

I hope that you’re all making the most of this much better weather, after such a poor start to the year.

We’ve just returned from the Observer Weekend at the Metropole Hotel in Llandrindod Wells, where the Observers discussed and developed personal plans to improve their riding, as well as put some of it into practice, of course. We used feedback from our Observer riding checks (called Aardvarks) and focused on:

    • The optimum road position, taking into account Safety, Stability and View
    • Use of gears
    • Planning and crisp execution of overtakes

Sound familiar? Yes – it’s the fundamentals of the System of Advanced Riding and something we should all be practising.

We had guests at the Observer Weekend from Bournemouth & Wessex Advanced Motorcyclists as well as Stuart Haythorn from IAM RoadSmart and Sean Westlake, the local IAM RoadSmart examiner (who happens to know the local roads very well…). It was good to build these relationships further. One of the comments I received from the guests was how impressed they were with the level of engagement of our Observers and their willingness to learn and improve their riding.

It was this willingness to learn and improve that made the Observer Weekend such as success, linking the learning from the Observer Day held earlier in the year. I’m looking forward to developing the learning and riding skills further with the Training Team, for the advantage of all members.

Taking advantage of the good weather myself a couple of weekends ago I noticed an old British bike coming the other way. I was struck by how small it was compared to most of the other bikes out on the road that day, and this was a 650cc twin – a big bike when it was new in the 1960s. I began to wonder why bikes had got so much bigger and heavier. Of course, bikes are much more powerful now, maybe some excessively so for the road, with larger engines, and more electronic riding aids, and ABS, and traction control and so on. And they go, stop and corner so much more effectively. But they’re also much bigger and much heavier. I guess manufacturers recognise that people buy more powerful and better equipped bikes and they have to compete for market share. But I do wonder if we’ve lost something by not pursuing lighter bikes that handle better, rather than just being more powerful… Do you?

Pat Coneley Chief Observer TVAM

From the Saddle (September 2017)

Posted on | by Pat Coneley

That was the month that was, which is a vague reference to the political satire programme of the 60’s hosted by David Frost. In our case it refers to the August St. Crispin’s meeting where I made a total of 39 announcements, the highest ever for a single month. The achievement of a Pass, F1RST, Masters, Local Observer, National Observer or Trainee Observer is the result of a great deal of work, so well done to all.

TVAM also achieved a first in August, we were the first bike club to be permitted to hold a track event at Thruxton. As you may be aware, the IAM have been running Skills Days at Thruxton for several years for both cars and bikes. The bike days have proved to be very popular and as a result many TVAM members have been disappointed in not being able to book a place. It has taken considerable time to obtain the support of both the IAM and the Thruxton management, and on the 7th we jointly hosted a Skills Day for TVAM members only, with 68 riders and 15 TVAM Instructors.

I am pleased to report that the day was incident-free and we have had great feedback. All of the places were sold out within 24 hours of opening the webshop which suggests that there is a real demand for this type of training.

Although track-based training is historically not an area that the IAM have supported, I firmly believe that it adds real value to the road training that we do with our Associates. Being able to explore your own limits in the controlled environment of a track with a small group of like-minded riders and a high instructor/pupil ratio knowing that nothing is coming the other way is both confidence building and addictive. I would like to thank those involved from IAM RoadSmart, Wey Valley Advanced Motorcyclists, Rapid Training and all the TVAM Track Instructors who helped make it such a success.

I will be attending a meeting in October with IAM RoadSmart to discuss plans for 2018 and I hope to be able to schedule two dates for Thruxton next year in addition to the two Castle Combe days which are a regular feature of the TVAM calendar.

If you have ever attended St. Crispin’s you will no doubt, have been served by Monique Yallop at the coffee bar. Monique has been managing the facility for the last six and a half years and has decided to stand down from the position. Given the number of members who attend St. Crispin’s regularly I reckon that Monique’s team have dispensed something like 28,000 servings of tea/coffee and biscuits so she has certainly earned a rest. Thanks Monique, the coffee bar is an essential part of TVAM and your dedication to our Sunday sustenance has been much appreciated.

We are looking for someone to manage the team of ten volunteers and Monique has agreed to help manage the transition smoothly so if you think that this role would appeal to you please contact Monique or one of the Committee.

Safe riding and enjoy the last of the summer.

Safe Riding

Pat Coneley

Chief Observer

Pat Coneley Chief Observer TVAM

From the Saddle (July 2017)

Posted on | by Pat Coneley

Hi all, it’s been a busy month at TVAM with the annual Observer Weekend in Wales where we had 57 Observers and Trainee Observers attending. The Observer Weekend which is partially subsidised by the club has three objectives, these are:
Communication – An opportunity to meet and discuss observing issues outside of our own teams.
Training – We discussed and trialed a new Run Report Form based on the IAM RoadSmart Run Sheet.
Reward – Thanks for the investment in time and money that Observers give to coaching Associates.

Currently TVAM is using a Run Report Form that is not compliant with current IAM RoadSmart standards and our status as a charity could be challenged if we remain non-compliant.

Following the training session on Saturday morning we all went out observing each other and using the new form on the wettest day I can recall in Wales. One of the feedback points was that we make the new form waterproof! The Training Team will be finalising the form soon and we will run several Observer evenings to train our Observer corps on the changes.

I was pleased to welcome 5 Trainee Observers to Wales, the weekend is a great opportunity for Observers new and not-so-new to learn from each other.

We also ran another Core Skills Day in June, this is a full day of training for new TObs and the start of their journey towards validation as a Local Observer.

TVAM currently has 17 TObs and as the club continues to grow there is a consistent demand for new Observers. The training is comprehensive, challenging and very worthwhile. If you have ever thought that you might like to find out more about becoming an Observer please contact one of the Training Team.

There is one issue that I felt should be discussed at the weekend, this is the consumption of alcohol on club social trips and the potential impact on our riding the following day. This is a sensitive issue and one that is the responsibility of the individual, however, as a Road Safety charity we should try to raise the awareness of the risks. Many of us enjoy the recreational aspect of TVAM and social drinking is part of our culture. This not something that the Committee wish to police so we would ask that all members drink responsibly on club events. We will be looking to provide some training to raise the level of drink driving or riding awareness in the future.

On a more positive note I am pleased to report that I managed to achieve a distinction on my IAM RoadSmart Masters test recently, this brings the total Masters count in TVAM to 5 with 3 Masters Mentors – Andy Wedge, Pete Dalgliesh and myself. We have several more members in preparation for the test so hopefully the number of Mentors will increase and we can provide more support for those wishing to prepare for the test.

The Masters is quoted by the IAM as the highest civilian riding and driving standard. Please contact one of the Mentors if you would like to find out more.

Safe Riding

Pat Coneley

Chief Observer

Pat Coneley Chief Observer TVAM

From the Saddle (May 2017)

Posted on | by Pat Coneley

I would like to open this month by thanking those of you that attended the March AGM and gave me the opportunity of being CO for another year. The role continues to be busy, challenging and very rewarding.

Like all organisations, TVAM needs to continually evolve to meet the needs of its members as well as those of the IAM to whom we are affiliated. We have recently seen this evolution in the IAM who have invested heavily in rebranding themselves as IAM RoadSmart as part of their aim to make themselves more relevant to the modern world. TVAM, which is the largest of the 200 or so IAM RoadSmart Groups plays a key part in delivering their product, the Advanced Rider Course formerly known as Skills for Life. TVAM also has a strong local brand of its own based on our excellent reputation resulting in a constant flow of new members who have heard about us and what we do.

Managing the demands of both organisations can be a challenge for the Committee and occasionally a source of conflict as we are all passionate about this club. You will have seen evidence of changes around the club with more emphasis on our involvement with IAM RoadSmart in our documentation, website and this magazine. The next change will be the introduction of a new Associate Run Report Form which the Training Team are redesigning to conform with the look and feel of the IAM RoadSmart brand, while continuing to capture the details essential to the smooth running of TVAM. We are planning to introduce the new form at the Observer Weekend in June. None of these changes will compromise what TVAM is all about – Better Biking.

The TVAM Skills Day at Thruxton sold out within hours of going live on the web shop. It is good to see how popular the event is and apologies to all who missed out. We will be looking to add more events like this to the TVAM Calendar in future.

There are changes in the faces too, Andy Slater as Chair and Adrian Ellison the new TVAM Secretary are getting to grips with their new roles as well as Sarah Chandler the new Green Team leader. They will bring energy and ideas and I am looking forward to working with them.

My work in Road Safety occasionally brings some perks and recently I had the opportunity to attend an event which included a seminar held by Thatcham Research, the insurance-backed company involved in the NCAP (new car assessment programme) testing of new vehicles. The level of technology that will be incorporated into the next generation of cars is staggering as they evolve closer to fully autonomous driving. This led me to make the obvious comparison to motorcycles where most of the development has been in horsepower. There are exceptions of course, and ABS, which is now standard on all new bikes is a good example, but why is there no NCAP rating for bikes? I did also get to experience the acceleration available in a Tesla S – 0 to 60 in sub 3 seconds!

Safe Riding

Pat Coneley

Chief Observer

Pat Coneley Chief Observer TVAM

From the Saddle (March 2017)

Posted on | by Pat Coneley

With Spring just around the corner, TVAM is gearing up for another busy biking season. 7Ws is already oversubscribed, so if you have missed a place this time don’t forget to look out for the Autumn dates here in Slipstream and on the website.

The Rutland Rally, a new weekend trip for members with less experience of motorcycle touring is also fully booked and a few of us will soon be making an exploratory trip to the area to check out some of the great biking roads around Rutland Water.

On the training side of TVAM, we held a second Observer Day at the Coppid Beech Hotel recently with 90 plus Observers and TObs attending a full day of workshops followed by a keynote session by Ian Edwards an industry leader on the psychology of rider and driver training.

By the time this copy of Slipstream goes to print the Training Team will have run the first of three Core Skills Days being held this year for potential new Observers. The CSD is a mandatory one-day training experience for all new TObs before they start their on-the-road training under the watchful eye of a TVAM Mentor. Mentors are National Observers selected for their coaching skills and I am pleased to announce that we have 4 new Mentors this month so my thanks go to Geoff Pretty, Dave Parsons,  Peter Dowlen and Kevin Buchta for taking on this important role.

New Observers are the life-blood of TVAM. As we continue to attract new Associates it is vital that we have Observers available to train them and during the summer months we struggle to meet the demand. Peter Browne who looks after Allocations does a great job with this but he needs more Observers. Only once in TVAM’s history have we had to close the doors to new members and the Committee would hate to be in this position again.

Becoming an Observer is one of the most rewarding activities in the club. TVAM does set high standards for observing but also provides a depth of support during the training. If you feel that you might like to be the proud owner of a gold badge, have a chat to any of the Training Team to find out more.

On a more sobering note, I have recently learned of Sam Doble’s racing incident on track at Catalunya, Spain. Sam is one of our younger Observers in the CLAMs, a passionate track enthusiast and regular with the LLR Team. Those of you who know Sam will not be surprised to hear that in spite of multiple injuries, he has not lost his sense of humour and is in regular contact. We all wish him a speedy recovery.

After months of negotiating with the DVSA over access to the Greenham Test Facility to run an additional Look Lean Roll course I have been informed that planning regulations restrict the use of the site and that we will not be granted access. This is a disappointment, however we have been allocated extra days at the current Farnborough site and I am pleased to announce that Mel Hakhnazarian has agreed to lead a new LLR Team to fill the extra dates. Once the new team has had time to organise and train the various roles we will be offering extra dates on the webshop for this popular course.

It is hard to believe that with the AGM this month I will be standing for re-election to my third year as CO of this great club. The last two years seem to have flown by and the role continues to be an honour as well as a huge challenge and I would like to thank everyone for their support.

One of the prominent news items of late has been the increase in the penalty for mobile phone offences from £100 to £200 and six penalty points rather than three. Many of the Road Safety organisations including IAM RoadSmart have joined in with campaigns to raise public awareness of the dangers posed by distracted drivers on our busy roads but there has been little mention of distracted bikers.

It is worth noting that the rules relating to mobile phones and drivers apply equally to riders and we are seeing an increasing use of wired or Bluetooth connected smartphones and satnavs on bikes. Please be mindful that touching a device in a cradle can lead to a prosecution if seen by a Police Officer. I am not aware of this happening yet so please let us make this one area that TVAM does not lead the way!

Finally this month, I would like to give a special thanks to Richard Tickner who has decided to hang up his bronze badge after many years as a National and former Senior Observer, Radio Validator, Committee Member and all round good egg. I hope Richard enjoys a well-earned rest and continues to enjoy TVAM.

Pat Coneley

Chief Observer

Pat Coneley

From the Saddle (January 2017)

Posted on | by Pat Coneley

Happy New Year everyone. I hope you all enjoyed the festive season and are looking forward to a new biking year. It may still be winter outside but spring is not far away, although I am writing this on the 1st of January with a log fire burning and no plans to go anywhere today.

As is often the case, the deadline for my Slipstream copy is overdue, and even though our editor Salli is in California for the winter I can still feel her breathing down my neck! In some ways it is a bit like advanced riding – all in the planning.

On reflection, I feel that 2016 has been a year of highs and lows, with some exciting new initiatives such as the TVAM RideUp Scholarship for younger riders and the December Motojumble. The club membership continues to grow towards 1000 with a high level of member retention as well as new Associates joining us.

We have also seen some changes at our St. Crispin’s monthly meets, with the introduction of The Red Zone, a place for Associates to meet and discover more about TVAM. The Green Team continues to grow and their support in the running of St. Crispin’s as well as organising the social runs is invaluable. The Group Riding Skills and Pillion Rider Courses add real value by providing activities and training for Full Members.

If you have read the TVAM Annual Report you may have noted that of the 100 test passes achieved in the period Nov 2015 – Oct 2016, 16 passes were at F1RST level. This compares very well with most other IAM RoadSmart Groups and the IAM’s expectation of only 5% F1RSTS.

All this was brought into stark contrast by the tragic news of Chris Arnold’s untimely death while leading a social run in France. This only serves to remind us of the risks that we all accept and the importance of always riding to the highest standard that we can.

Looking forward to 2017, the major challenge for myself and the Training Team is in supporting existing TVAM Group Observers in their preparation for the IAM RoadSmart National or Local Observer assessments. The deadline for this is January 1st 2018, so there is much to do. It has been my personal aim to expand the track skills training offered to our members, and I am pleased to confirm that we will be running a joint TVAM/IAM RoadSmart event at Thruxton Circuit this August. This will involve a classroom theory session followed by 20 minutes of track time in small groups with a TVAM Track Instructor and a debrief in each hour. The Thruxton event will be in addition to our regular TVAM Days at Castle Combe.

At a much slower pace there will be a Slow Riding Competition at St. Crispin’s in the afternoon following the May meeting, a chance to watch some of us embarrass ourselves riding a 125 around an obstacle course very slowly.

On a final note, I find it hard to believe that the March AGM will mark the end of my second year as Chief Observer, it is without doubt the most engaging and challenging role I have ever undertaken and if elected in March I look forward to another year at the helm of the best bike club in the world.

 

Pat Coneley

Chief Observer

Pat Coneley

From the Saddle (October 2016)

Posted on | by Pat Coneley

It is with a feeling of deep sadness that I open my regular Slipstream column with a tribute and goodbye to Chris Arnold following his tragic death while motorcycling in the French Mountains. Chris was leading his final tour with a group of friends from TVAM when his motorcycle left the road and he was killed instantly.

By the time you read this, Chris’s funeral will have taken place on the 12th of October. It was the wish of his wife and three daughters that the funeral be a small personal affair with just family and close friends present.

I know that many of us who have ridden with Chris on his regular social runs and European tours would like to pay our respects so the book of condolences started last month, will be left at the Green Team desk for the next couple of St. Crispin’s meetings. Please take the time to drop by and record your thoughts. We will present the book to Chris’s family in due course.

The Committee arranged a floral tribute sent on behalf of all TVAM members.This sad news highlights both the risks that we are all exposed to and the value of the training we offer at TVAM.

On the subject of training, one of the areas that has perhaps been overlooked by all of the advanced training bodies is the major effect that we as humans have in the causation factors relating to Road Traffic Incidents. This is known as ‘human factors’ and has been the subject of much research in the Road Safety and Aviation worlds. The IAM’s new Advanced Riding Course has a prominent section on this, and we will be running a workshop session on this subject at next year’s Observer Training Day on the 11th February at the Coppid Beech in Bracknell.

Don’t forget the Autumn Seminar Series is starting with an evening with Rapid Training on the 2nd November at the Masonic Hall in Wokingham. Many of you will recall Gary Baldwin’s irreverent take on crash investigation and advanced riding. It will be both entertaining and politically incorrect – a not to be missed event for all members! Gary heads up Rapid Training who conduct the bi-annual riding skills check on all TVAM Observers. (See page 24).

Ride Safe and enjoy the last few days of Autumn sunshine before the clocks go back.

Pat Coneley

Chief Observer

Pat Coneley

From the Saddle (August 2016)

Posted on | by Pat Coneley

TVAM members have been in the news of late with an article in the magazine ‘My Weekly’ about women bikers and featuring our very own Lyn Allen. As a member of TVAM since 1991 and an ex-Observer with 10 IAM test passes as well as being a Look, Lean & Roll instructor, Lyn has made a significant contribution to the success of our club, so it is great to see her recognised in the media.

Also in the news this week are TVAM Observers Andy Smith and Iain James, with a mention in ‘IAM Inform’ the weekly update from the IAM, celebrating their National Observer awards following their successful assessments with Shaun Cronin, the Regional Quality Manager (RQM). Both Andy and Iain
described the assessment as being enjoyable and challenging so our congratulations go to them both. Andy’s account of his experience will be in Slipstream next month. This brings TVAM’s total of Observers qualified to the IMI National standard to 24. As with all IAM Groups we have until January 2018 to achieve IMI accreditation at Local or National level of all our Observers.

If you were at the last St. Crispin’s Sunday, you would have seen some new red banners in the main hall. These denote the Red Zone, a place for Associates to meet and chat in the hope that St. Crispin’s might be a less bewildering environment for newer members. The Red Zone has been set up in response to the Membership Survey which highlighted the need for a dedicated space for Associates. Since the introduction last month the response to this has been very positive, so please let us know what you think.

You may also see some of us wearing new orange badges, these identify TVAM’s Social Run Leaders. Social Rides have long been the mainstay of TVAM activities and a key contributor to TVAM’s high level of membership retention. The committee recognises the time, effort and fuel that run leading demands and wanted that to be honoured. The orange badge will be awarded to those successfully completing the Run Leader element of the Group Riding Skills Course. We will also award the badge to experienced, current run leaders. Leading a social run can be hugely rewarding when it all goes well and like many things the secret is in the planning, and to help with this the Green Team have developed a comprehensive training day which covers Group Riding Skills, Run Leading, Back Marking and includes a practical exercise. The next course is on the 17th September at Thatcham Football Ground, I’ll be attending and I hope to see some of you there.

On a more sobering note, the 2015 DfT Road Casualty Statistics have recently been released. These are an annual report of the number of fatalities and injuries on our roads for all road users, and have been produced yearly since 1926. As you might expect numbers rose in the early years of motoring in line with the growth in motor vehicles, then started to fall in 1983 with introduction of the seat belt law. The lowest figure to date was in 2013 with a figure of 1,713 fatalities. The 2015 report shows an overall reduction in fatalities for all road user groups except motorcycles, where the figure has risen 8% to a shocking 365 fatalities. This places motorcyclists in the highest risk category at 21% of the fatalities but only 1% of the road population. If you wish to find out more about the report it is available to view or download on the DfT website. Although few of us would wish to dwell on these figures it does highlight the relevance of all the training that we offer at TVAM.

On a cheerier note I made a reference earlier to TVAM’s membership rates which are improving. We are attracting new members at a slightly lower rate but more of us are staying, so the total membership has risen to 950 which makes us the largest of all the IAM groups.

Ride Safe

Safe Riding!

 

Pat Coneley

Chief Observer