Having passed the IAM test in May, the question ‘What now?’ quickly surfaced. There’s a need to polish, to learn more, to advance further. It was witnessing Andy Marper’s and Mick Wheeler’s skills during the Eiffel trip though, which illustrated the gap between where I was and where I should be aiming. As many of you know, Andy owns and runs ‘Advanced Riding Techniques’ (art4bikes.co.uk) for the benefit of those wanting to progress their riding. So, on the ferry back to Hull I approached him for details and signed on for two days of intense coaching. Did I have any idea what I was letting myself in for? Not exactly, and I wondered how my IAM training would prepare me for the task ahead... About three weeks later, at 8-30 on a Monday morning, Andy and I met up at Meadowhall. After a suitable briefing the bike to bike comms were fired up and we set off... in the pouring rain, ah well! Over the next 2 days I was to receive over 10 hours of one to one on the road coaching, riding over 400 miles and receive a further 8 or 9 hours of feedback, advice and encouragement. It was a very intense experience. The riding alone felt more like 20 hours and 800 miles! Here’s a quick breakdown.
Bits from Day 1
Motorway
We set off initially on the M1 and I thought (as usual!) that I was doing really well until I heard Andy over the headset, picking up on my forward planning, observation and positioning …(or lack of!). Continuous and timely, the ‘of the moment’ relevance of each comment so effective, much better than a chat in a caff after much has been forgotten.
Town riding through traffic
Here again, I’m making good progress and riding smoothly (or so I think!) and then... Andy again; ‘What did you do that for... What have you gained?’ For the next forty five minutes, position by position, move by move, covering all the do’s and don’ts’ of riding smoothly and efficiently through traffic came Andy’s feedback, fine tuning my technique on how to make more progress more safely.
Open roads
After already attempting to take on board a gold mine of information we now headed out onto the open roads to play on the bends. Soon, I was flying with bomber command again, the Squadron Leader guiding me through enemy territory ‘Stay left! Stay left! Stay left, keep it in third... right, now you can go... expertly coaching me on the system of motorcycle control. At this point I realised we were still only half way though the day. It was still raining but I’d completely forgotten about any uneasiness in wet and felt as though I was dealing with the conditions smoothly and without panic. (My opinion , of course!) And then... more riding, more miles, a few quick breaks mixed in, then more great roads, more constructive earache and eventually we finally arrived at Langholm for the night. What an astonishing day, the best ever. And after dinner, guess what?
The day one debrief
We watched the most educational clips Andy had filmed during the day. Here was the evidence... the good and the less good. You can’t complain that you don’t get enough attention but by 10.45pm I couldn’t take in any more. An exhausting but exhilarating 14 hours. We called it a night!
Day 2
During the breakfast pre- briefing, Andy explained he’d like to see how well I could apply the principles and techniques, join them into a polished ride. We followed the same route back and I was trying to put into practice everything I’d been shown the day before. Had much sunk in overnight? Some obviously had but we carried on fine tuning. Refine, polish, consolidate, re-inforce. I wasn’t being told off as much over the headset, some compliments were coming in. Relative peace! Did that mean I had improved? Absolutely, but then to press home a number of finer points Andy took the lead from time to time. Very smooth and decisive. I can see what’s needed, what’s expected. My turn up front again, repeat, repeat, repeat. That one was perfect Dev... remember it, do it again.
So, was it worth it?
Every penny and more. Andy is a phenomenal rider and a great teacher dedicated to sharing his skills. I can see he gets huge satisfaction from going out with riders who demonstrate the right learning attitude. I benefitted tremendously, far more than I could have hoped for. If you need or want to move your riding on, Andy is definitely the man to see. A few days later, as promised, he sent a DVD of commentated clips of my rides and a written appraisal, identifying areas for more improvement and polish. It’s all a step further than the preparation and riding standards needed to get your Green Badge. Even now every time I go for a ride I can still hear Andy talking me through the right things to do and not to do. Riding well is an art, and when the benefits of Andy’s coaching started to come together it felt fantastic. It made for a sensational two days and has motivated me to keep pursuing higher standards. A case in point being the chance to experience four great days in Wales riding with Andy and four other very skilled riders. (See A Wander in Wales... from the Hon Sec.) Ed. Another opportunity to learn and understand more about how the best riders do it! There’s no doubt that when it comes to advanced training there’s no substitute for the right coach, the right attitude and practice, practice, practice.
Cheers all
Dev

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