Tag: wales

7Ws through the eyes of some participants

An Observer – Carl Flint

I could not help overhearing a conversation at a recent St Crispins, between a group of long serving Observers about the forthcoming 7Ws. One mentioned that the fun had left the club with all the emphasis on training and less on social rides and asked what is the point of having a training session so far away in Wales? I thought that sounds bonkers, we all know that Wales has wonderful roads, perfect for training and it is great fun.

Take an Associate called Phil for example. Phil aka Barnes Wallace, because Phil had his top box come off on several occasions on his way over to Llandrindod! How it missed the other bikers in the group and how they managed to find it each time, remains a bit of a mystery! Anyway, on Saturday I was assessing Dave Brooks, Trainee Observer and Dave was observing Phil. We were both delighted that Phil was not bringing his top box! Dave asked Phil what he would like to focus on during the day and Phil said positioning and bends. Dave mentioned he had some very good roads in mind that would give Phil plenty of opportunity to develop his skills. So, did I see Phil have fun during his training? You bet he did, with Dave’s very good demonstration of lines to take and the roads with long sweeping bends, it was perfect for Phil and the improvement we saw in the consistency of his riding during the afternoon was a big step forward.

On the way to Llandrindod on Friday, I was observing Graham Emerson and I bumped into him at the bar on Saturday evening after he had been out doing his ride. He had a grin on him as wide as the Cheshire Cat. I asked him how his day was, knowing full well he had really enjoyed himself and had lots of fun.

The notion that the Starburst system (a trio of an Observer with two Associates or Trainee Observer and Associate) excludes fun for the Associate is just bonkers. It is harder work for the Observer or Trainee Observer. They need to have routes that allow the Associate to work on the areas that were raised in the opening discussion. But that is soon forgotten when we all get out there and have the privilege and fun of riding the wonderful roads in mid Wales.

A Trainee Observer – Mark Powell

When I last attended 7Ws in September 2022, I was a PTOb, a provisional Trainee Observer. By this 7Ws I had progressed to being a TOb. This meant I could take a much more active role in the weekend on my journey to becoming a fully qualified Observer. For the trip to Wales I was allocated Kevin Dunwell as my Observer.  He shared his route up to Wales with me in advance and I loaded it into both my BMW connect and my Garmin XT.  Kevin also loaded it into his Garmin XT. At the start point I gave the run briefing to Sylvester, our Associate for the day and off we went. It became clear within the first 30 miles that the three sat navs were not in complete agreement and I added a loop that Kevin was not expecting! But all rides are a voyage of discovery and despite some rain on the way we had a good ride up.  Kevin provided me with some valuable feedback on my observing skills.

Friday night, a few beers, a good meal and introductions to riding partners for the Saturday. Andy McWalter was my Observer coach for the day and we discussed different approaches to route planning. That is code for I was supposed to have prepared a route for the Saturday but had not realised that, so Andy and I worked out a circular route with options. We also spoke with Ed, our Associate for Saturday to find out what he wanted to work on and planned accordingly.

Saturday morning, thick fog!  After a hearty breakfast I went through the ride brief with Ed and off we went.  Mid-morning coffee and snacks, the sun came out, some great roads, stopped for lunch.  In the car park over lunch, Andy’s back tyre decided to let all the air escape and it was as flat as a flat tyre can be!  I knew the theory but had never had to fix a puncture before. The three of us worked together to find the leak (not so easy with a completely flat tyre), sticky string in the hole, pump tyre up and away we go.  Learning point for me is that without putting air in the tyre we would never have found the leak.  I carry 4 CO2 canisters. Would that be enough to put air in, find the leak, and then have enough to inflate a GS back tyre to a riding pressure? Andy carries a small compressor so not a problem there.  We felt we needed a reward so rode to Aberystwyth for ice creams on the sea front.   Then back to the hotel. Andy gave me some useful tips on observing during the day and a good debrief after. Gentle run back on Sunday. 

A quick thank you from me to Simon and Si from the Training team who did all the on-site management and the rest of the training team that organised it. And to all the Observers who gave their time to help us TObs and Associates to develop our skills. Much appreciated.

A Provisional Trainee Observer – Richard Lawson

I just wanted to offer my own feedback to the 7Ws weekend from 21st to 23rd April, which was, in short, a fantastic three days of motorcycling.

I attended as a pTOb, so my principal role was to shadow the Observers and the Associates I was grouped with for the Friday and Saturday rides. I always get a lot from shadowing and the combination of learning from highly skilled TVAM Observers, watching keen Associates develop and experience some of the very best roads in the UK, made it an excellent weekend for me.

The emphasis of enjoying the rides was constantly reinforced by everyone in the training team and the vibes I got from the weekend were really positive and relaxed. I enjoyed great company, made new friends, experienced awesome scenery and rode some really beautiful Welsh roads.

I’d like to thank Observers Dave Parker and Michael Hattey again for having me along on their Observer Rides, and for kindly asking for my own feedback with the Associates, as this made me feel valued and kept me on my toes.

I wish Associates; Dave & Danny, the very best with their cross-checks and tests – you guys are both very competent riders and, I’m certain, even more polished after this weekend. I’ll definitely go back and do another 7Ws, and maybe I’ll be an Observer myself by then! 

An Associate – Graham Emerson

It was the first time I had attended the 7Ws and I was a little anxious on what would be expected and how limited the riding under training may have been. How my worries were so ridiculous goes like this. I met Carl and Dave on arrival at the wandering kitchen and into debrief/chat about what IPSGA and system means to us and a quick chat about our ride to the first heading. We geared up and headed off taking it in rotation for being observed then a coffee and chat with some useful pointers and off again to catch some very thick fog and a line of traffic as we got round some tree felling.

As we moved on, the roads became more engaging with some overtaking opportunities followed by lunch at a lovely garden centre that knocked out a very nice omelette and again debrief with pointers. Some weather caught us just as we stopped for tea, but I couldn’t believe another hour and a bit had passed – I was enjoying the roads so much as the rolling countryside passed by. Now Dave up front being observed by Carl on a fantastic road with a lovely combination of sweeping bends and tighter turns yielded more progressive riding and we had also left the drizzle behind. A fantastic ride capped the day as the rain caught us as we filled up just around the corner from the hotel. Day 1 was good. Dave grinned at me, “Just wait for tomorrow it gets even better…..”

So a couple of beers, dinner and met Paul and Tom for Saturday’s ride. A chat and a debrief and at 8.30am the fog was thicker than grandma’s vegetable soup, so a short bumble down the road to a coffee stop for an hour ‘talking bollocks’ a.k.a., bikes, sports, work, women, not all in that order. Now the skies had cleared and up the hill to some of the funnest roads one could wish for, with Tom who was training to be an Observer watching me, being watched by Paul, who saw everything we both did. Lots of pointers and feedback on better road positions led to better entry everywhere and overtaking became easier and the riding seemed very progressive and very quickly the fun factor was in full effect, which whilst learning is a hell of a thing to achieve. A fantastic spot at Aberporth for lunch, more riding, more great roads getting better and more progressive as we went down to Aberystwyth for ice cream and the piece de la resistance.

The ride back. Putting into practice what we had learned with the Observer now leading followed by Observer in training with me picking up a great demonstration of how it’s done. Progressive and now the ‘funometer’ in the red zone as we rode through Wales in an afternoon which I shall long remember. As we arrived back Carl caught me grinning like a Cheshire Cat, and asked me to pen my thoughts in a paragraph. So there we go, I’m afraid too much fun for just one paragraph.

First published in Slipstream May 2023

A few tales from those that attended our Associate training weekend

I joined TVAM in November ‘21 and started working towards my IAM test. I heard about 7Ws but was unable to make the one in the spring. Everyone said it was a great experience so I was determined to make the next trip. As soon as the date was announced I put my name down and hoped to be selected. While I was waiting to hear I took and passed my IAM test. I also took the decision to start the journey to become an Observer. That means I currently have the status of a PTOB. A TOB is a Trainee Observer who wears a Yellow badge and is working towards full Observers qualification. A PTOB is what you are referred to until you have completed all of the qualification elements of the Trainee Observer Programme and have had your first assessment.

So, what is 7Ws? It is a weekend of riding through the wonderful roads of Wales in the company of like-minded souls. It is a training weekend, and the focus is on encouraging, supporting and coaching all the Associates that attend. It is also a chance to chat about all things bike, compare machines, gear and enjoy lots of friendly banter.

As it was my first 7Ws and I was neither Associate nor Observer, I was there to shadow the Observers and learn how they work with their Associates. Some Observers have been doing this for many years and others only recently, so I was able to see the different approaches they took with their Associates and learn from that. I assumed the coaching of the Associates would be structured a bit like a St Crispin’s run, however it is a lot more informal that that. I did not see one ride report form or copy of the Highway Code for the whole weekend. I did see a lot of discussions at the side of the road and in coffee shops about lines through bends, overtaking, bike machinery and a whole range of other topics. Associates were encouraged to ask questions at all times and I was involved in a great conversation on the way to Wales where the Associate had watched the Observer and myself execute overtakes in a certain way and wanted to know why we did what we did.

Waterproof clothing was also a topic of conversation as the run up was wet wet wet! There was also some discussion about touring on motorcycles and how to prepare for that. I clocked well over 500 miles over the three days with 220 on the Saturday. One Associate I spoke to had never ridden more than 40 miles in one ride, so the weekend provides a good taster of what it’s like to go touring on a motorcycle and that in itself is a learning experience.

The Training Team who organise the weekend put a lot of effort into grouping Associates so that those with similar experience end up together on the various rides and their Observers are aware and can prepare their rides accordingly. There was an Observer meeting each evening to check in on how the Associates (and everyone else) were doing and discuss the next day.

I’d like to say a big thank you to all the Training Team, for putting this together and handling all the behind-the-scenes work, and to all the Observers who supported the Associates over the weekend, allowed me to shadow them and answered my questions about their Observer approach. For me personally the next step is to drop the “P” and work towards full Observer status in time for the next 7Ws in 2023.

Mark Powell – PTob

So this is a viewpoint of the Oct 22 7Ws weekend from an Associate and is written with new Associates in mind who have not yet had the chance to experience a 7Ws training weekend, may be unsure or thinking it would be too overwhelming.

Fundamentally 7Ws is a focused training weekend for Associates and that is exactly what it felt like. It comes with the added benefits of additional social aspects, such as food, wine, beer and the company of other members and of course riding what are the best roads I have ridden to date, considering my limited years of riding.

So why 7Ws? Well we’ve all done our observed rides which, more often than not, are usually limited to just a few hours and sometimes having to share an Observer with another Associate. Although this does allow time for Observers to pick up on your riding and give you things to go away and work on, you only get very limited time to put into practice the items discussed whilst being observed on that ride. 7Ws fixes that, from my perspective, as quite simply you can spend whole days in the seat, have the benefit of lovely winding Welsh roads and it gives you the time to really put the guidance into practice, whilst still under close observation. There is plenty of time for stops and lunch and being paired off with another Associate you can take time to discuss items in more detail, build on your skills throughout the day as well as having the chance to see your paired Associate develop theirs.

The format is well thought out in typical TVAM style and really puts the Associate at the heart of it all. A few days before the trip your allocated Observer for the Friday contacts you to discuss the weekend. Key items such as what you want to get out of the ride, what to expect, how far you can or have ridden in one day, etc. I have to say that at all times you really got a sense of this trip being for the Associate. I have no doubt the Observers do enjoy their weekend immensely, but the focus is the Associate under training.

It is an early start on the Friday to get to the Wandering Café for breakfast and coffee (well recommended) for the initial briefings. Riding with myself, and my Observer, to Wales was PTob (Prospective Trainee Observer) Tom. The journeys to Wales are all done as starburst rides, meaning that although some groups took similar routes you weren’t all riding the same roads as a group and this method worked really well for me and others I spoke to.

A certain TVAM Chairman was unfortunate enough to be lumbered with me for the ride to Wales, which really marked the start of the training. From the point you leave to the point of arriving in Wales you are either being observed or observing their riding. To be fair it’s quite a distance but having already been asked about my comfortable distances this wasn’t a problem, with plenty of stops and a nice lunch on route. Each stop gave us time to discuss the riding and most importantly plenty of time in between to practice. So, if you are concerned about distance on your bike please don’t be put off by this trip and make sure to let your Observer know what you are comfortable with.

When it comes to roads, Wales did not disappoint, with plenty of chance to practice those skills and often with very little traffic. One small stop was made about 23 miles from our final destination, primarily to inform me that I was about to ride on one of the best roads in the UK, this being the A483 Newtown to Crossgates in Llandrindod Wells. A dream of a road, it was flat, fast, wide, winding and really did give you the chance to put into practice what you had picked up during the day – it’s almost as if it was built just for the 7Ws! I can even confess to doing it in the dark on the Saturday night, though technically that wasn’t in the overall plan and the less said the better on that!

Come the Friday night I have never been so grateful for a warm room, shower and a beer, and the Metropole in Llandrindod Wells was a very welcome sight. With an area set aside for our bikes, which soon filled up, all was very smooth at check in.

Dinner was held in a private room for our group and it was a great chance to catch up with other members and share “war stories” of the days travel. The food was simple but tasty and I certainly had no complaints. More importantly beer seemed reasonably priced! Post dinner we had a talk from Shaun Westlake, an ex-Police rider and long-time friend of TVAM, who was both informative and exceedingly amusing at the same time, I’m sure he does the voices for Fireman Sam!

That evening we all received our Observer allocations for the Saturday and I was lucky enough to be paired with Andy Hunter, although he may have thought differently! The location of the bar seemed very convenient to speak with him and plan timings for the morning without any concerns or pressure, other than who gets the next round!

The Saturday started with a good breakfast, which I recommend making full use of during the stay. You certainly won’t go hungry on a 7Ws weekend. The benefit of the 2nd day allows you to be paired with another Observer and effectively start afresh but once again having a day on the roads allowing you to build on other items that still need some work. My fellow associate Taira needed a new headlight bulb so a swift stop at a garage and simple twist and fit (thank God it was a Honda) saw her back up and ready prior to our departure. This proved a good move as that light was needed much later in the day as our trip back was somewhat in the “dark”. I’ve mentioned that twice now, haven’t I? ‘Nuff said.

Once again, some stunning riding and fantastic scenery, the route Andy had planned was superb. A mix of roads which took in the stunning views across the Vale of Rheidol down towards Aberystwyth and then around to Barmouth for lunch which is such a picturesque stop. There was one small down hill “donkey track” which funnily enough did end up next to a field of donkeys. They all seemed to be named after Disney characters or fizzy drinks.

Dinner on the Saturday was once again in a private room and then, all too soon, it was time to think about the return trip on the Sunday and once again certain individuals had carefully planned and offered to lead social rides back to different return points. My chosen route returned to St. Crispin’s, so a big thanks to Simon Whatley and Iain Gaitley for leading and back marking a good ride home, though I have to say this was probably the wettest of all 3 days. Wales certainly has an allure with some of the nation’s most stunning scenery and roads. It was my first time riding there and I can see why it has such an appeal and, considering it isn’t that far from the Thames Valley, I’ll be back.

I have never been the best reporter or travel blogger, so apologies, but if you’ve got this far, well done. What I will say is that if you are working towards your green badge or are new to TVAM and have not had chance to go on 7Ws, in my humble opinion this training weekend is a must do. If not for the training and experience at least for the social.

A huge thanks really has to go to the organisers Andy Wedge and his team. Thanks to Barrie and Andy for observing and all the other Observers, TObs and PtObs who gave up their time to help us Associates become better riders. Yes Ian, I’ll work on those left hand bends more! 

James Jarvis – Associate

The first thing to say is what a fantastic weekend spent with a very friendly group of people. I have never gone away for a weekend on a motorbike before, I was both excited and nervous. Many thanks to Gill for coming and talking to me at The Wandering Kitchen before we set off, I think I looked a wee bit worried.

Being teamed up with an Associate of similar ability to me on the ride up to Wales was perfect. Funnily enough we both have the same Observer. Unfortunately, Andy our Observer for that day got a puncture which was a pain for him but a great learning experience for both of us to watch him repair it.

The first evening after a delicious 3-course meal and an entertaining talk, we were introduced to our second Observer of the weekend. So early on Saturday morning we set off for another day’s ride and it stayed dry… until we headed back to the hotel then the heavens opened, but it didn’t dampen my enthusiasm. I was given some very good feedback to improve my riding during the day and the scenery was amazing; interspersed with some enjoyable cake stops.

We weren’t left to make our own way back home on the Sunday, although a few people chose to do that. There were groups heading home via different locations. I joined the group led by Si that headed straight back to The Wandering Kitchen.

Thank you very much to everyone for organising the weekend and to the Observers who gave up their time to impart their expert knowledge to us. I didn’t stop smiling for a long while after returning home, and will continue to grin every time I think about that weekend! 

Jenny Cooksley – Associate

The Associate – by Joey Buttfield

It’s Friday 8th April and the 8am breakfast rendezvous point is The Wandering Kitchen Cafe near Berinsfield. My Observer for the day is Hev, who discusses with me the areas I want to improve on over the weekend and introduces me to my co Associate Ilhan. I was expecting a larger group, so delighted with the 2 to 1 ratio.

As I hadn’t ridden with Hev before she asked me to lead off as all the groups dispersed on multiple routes to Llandrindod Wells.

All communication is done via the mirrors, supplemented by arm signals, so all very clear and timely. I especially enjoyed the frequent stops to discuss aspects to work on and also how Hev would demonstrate techniques and elements of the system I was struggling with.

Ludlow Farm Shop, Bromfield was our lunch stop and the rendezvous point for the social ride to our destination, via some awesome roads led by Barrie. This really helped me to practice and reinforce the techniques I was shown by my Observer Hev.

An awesome day was rounded off by a swim in the hotel pool and a great dinner. I must also mention the after-dinner presentation from Sean Westlake which seriously awakened me to many facets of riding I was hitherto blissfully unaware of, and his colourful Welsh banter!

On Saturday I was paired up with my Observer Barrie and trainee Observer Aaron. I especially liked this format as from my perspective I had the benefit of two instructors! And what a day, just awesome on every level. I loved the challenging routes and the way both parties instructed, as well as the feedback given.

After a leisurely Sunday breakfast, I had to make a difficult choice on which Observer led run home to take with a choice of three no less.

A big shout out to Barrie, Hev and fellow Associates who got me back to Oxfordshire via some stunning roads.

I am now a much-improved rider, but importantly understand my journey is just beginning. Get yourself booked on this awesome learning curve that is the 7Ws. Thank you all so much.

The Full Member – by JB Staunton

Having recently passed my motorbike test and bought my first bike (a Honda CBR650F), I joined TVAM in October 2019, and although I didn’t get much riding in before the first lockdown, I had oft heard members tell me in hushed tones that the 7Ws trip as something “you had to do”.

I’d swear, that without exception, everyone who uttered the phrase “7Ws” said it with a wistful smile and glazed eyes – you could tell they were thinking back to some awesome riding on the twisty and windy roads of Wales. I knew from the get-go that I wanted a piece of the action too!

Although I knew the trip is focused on Associates, I applied for a place on the trip in January, knowing I’d just passed my advanced test in December ‘21 – I didn’t know if I’d get a place, but as my wife says “What do 100% of winners have in common? They try!” In this case I tried and succeeded.

This would be my first trip away on the bike and honestly, I was a little anxious of what to expect. I googled a few articles on “what to pack on a motorbike trip”, and, oh yeah, I also had to google “how to attach soft panniers to your motorbike”; luckily, I picked up a set at the St Crispin’s moto-jumble in January 2020 (they were a bargain!).

Despite Alan’s Sat Nav being a bit temperamental, and Rhona nearly running out of fuel, we had a great run down on the backroads of England and Wales. However, has anyone mentioned the rain, hail and snow, yes snow! Well, it wouldn’t be a good trip without a story or two, would it?

On the final leg to Llandrindod Wells, we had to climb over some hills and I wasn’t worried when it started to rain – it’s Wales in April right and what do you expect? However, I’d never ridden in hail before and was a tad nervous of this when it started, but it really wasn’t an issue as the hail just bounced off our helmets and clothing. The snow was a different story as it was that claggy and wet kind of snow that sticks to you, resulting in having to wipe your visor every 30 seconds or so (which was reminiscent of my advanced test). In all, the bad weather only lasted for a maximum of an hour, over the course of the weekend I hasten to add, but I was glad to get to the hotel in the end and I have some good stories to tell!

If you’ve not been on one of these trips before I would highly recommend it and I’d like to commend the organisers on how well things ran. It was an early start on day one, but along with a filling breakfast bap at our breakfast rendezvous point, I met the rest of my group for the trip to Wales – there were only half a dozen of us in total: Run leader Alan Heighway, back marker Marianne Myburgh as well as fellow TVAM members Konrad Marciniak, Neville Till and Rhona Ferry.

Saturday was a great day of riding too and our group was lucky enough to be paired up with ex-motorbike police officer, tour guide and 7Ws event guest speaker, Sean Westlake. Unfortunately for me the day started slightly embarrassingly insofar as my battery had died overnight due to the previous owner of my bike wiring the heated grips directly to the battery, and me forgetting to turn them off after our “Arctic” experience the afternoon before. I appreciate a number of fellow riders help in trying to bump start me (Konrad you star) as well as Neville letting me use his jump start battery (birthday/Christmas gift idea anyone?) and an unnamed member lending us his mini-jump leads!

In the end we got going 15 minutes late and not only did Sean bring us on a very scenic 150-mile route, he was able to give us the history of the places we visited too!

By the way the hotel worked very well for the group, with ample parking, a private dining room for us for both evening meals, decent food and a large bar, which was unsurprisingly frequented by TVAM members.

In summary it was a well-run event, which was great fun and certainly one I’d endorse. I’ll be aiming to attend another TVAM group trip as well as make it over to Wales again…oh those roads…..

The Observer – by Andy Hunter

Having completed my pre-ride checks in the afternoon, I packed and loaded my bike the evening before we set out.

So, Friday morning I was up and out early for my 45-minute ride to the meet point, arriving 10 minutes early to find the place already open and serving food. The coffee and bacon sandwich were spot on, perfect, just what I needed.

Top marks to the management and staff at The Wandering Cafe, they did a superb job of looking after us. Well done and thank you.

We had been previously allocated two Associates for the ride up, so having met both Sam and Ondrez, I started to understand what each was looking for on their observed ride into Wales. One had passed his crosscheck, the other of a very similar standard. From the Observer’s viewpoint it is very much easier if the Associates are of a similar standard, as it makes the route planning easier.

So shortly after 9am we headed out towards Abingdon, then on towards Burford to find the first planned coffee and chat stop, allowing a chance to swap the Associates over. A power cut derailed those plans and meant they were unable to serve anything as it had rendered their till out of action. We decided to continue towards Stow-on-the-Wold, then stopped for a slightly belated coffee as we entered Tewkesbury.

We discussed a few minor points for both Associates before getting back on our way, heading towards Leominster and picking up the A44.

As we were running well for time, we continued towards Hereford and found a golf club for lunch – ideal for the snack that we needed.

The weather was a mix of cloud with the sun breaking through, but as we approached Crossgates we experienced a 5-minute sleet storm. In fairness this was the only rain that I saw all weekend, so I still don’t know if my new waterproof gloves are any good or not!

We refuelled at Crossgates and, as we had arrived with time to spare, rode from Crossgates to Newtown and back. That rounded off an excellent day’s riding and we headed to the Metropole hotel, our accommodation for the two nights. Having used the Metropole many times, over the years, I knew that we were in for great hospitality and we were not disappointed.

Saturday morning, we were again allocated two Associates who were different from the Friday allocation. Again, I was blessed that both rode to a similar standard and they agreed that they wanted to work on riding bends. We headed south and west giving both Associates the chance to lead for a time before stopping for coffee at the West End Cafe in Llandovery. A true bikers’ cafe.

After coffee and a chat, we headed out towards Aberystwyth where we found the ‘Diner on the Prom’ to be very busy. We continued to find somewhere a little quieter for a slightly later lunch.

Returning to the hotel, from Newtown to Crossgates, we refuelled ready for the Sunday ride home.

Sunday was entirely a social ride. Having offered to lead a ride towards Henley, and getting a little banter from Mr Brownlee, it was agreed that anybody that wanted to take my route would meet at 9.30am for a briefing in the car park before heading out.

The run back was pretty much a re-run of my outward route, with myself, two Full Members, one other Observer and one Associate. It was all very relaxed, giving the Associate a chance to practice what he had learnt during Saturday’s session.

More top-quality riding skills were on display, stopping for a sandwich and drink at the filling station at Stow-on-the-Wold. We had agreed at the briefing that people would simply give us a wave and peel off at a point close to where they lived. Checking on my phone messages, it was good to see that everybody returned home happy.

Overall, this was a great weekend. It was a chance to meet and chat with old friends, introduce some Associates to the roads in Wales and reacquaint myself with a couple of great roads I have not used for some time.

Firstly, the Tewkesbury road out of Stow-on-the-Wold and then the A44 heading west into Crossgates.

I have no doubt that all of the Associates returned home with new or improved riding skills. We must not forget the importance of the team building benefits of these events.

Thanks to the Training Team and all that were involved in planning and running this event.