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ON-ROAD TRAINING SPRING 2022
The day’s are getting longer, the air’s getting warmer and we’ve got some nice weather forecast for the next two weeks or so. So why not drop me a line and see if I can fit you in with a course from my start points around the M25, within convenient distances much of SE England. Courses for all riders from newly qualified to advanced. Whatever you ride, however you ride, just bring along some enthusiasm!
ONLINE COACHING
And if that doesn’t work for you, because of cost or distance, why not think about an inexpensive one-hour online coaching session? We can cover any of a range of pre-prepared topics, or you can present me with an issue you want advice on.
ON THE ROAD IN 2022 – mini-rideouts
Here’s the idea. I know some riders are put off group riding by the high-speed, crash-happy reputation of big ride-out groups, so I’m planning something very different – limited numbers (five bikes max), leisurely pace (fine for an A2 bike) and relatively short distances (max 100 miles). These will either be:
- MORNING RIDES with a decent mid-ride break to rest and socialise over a decent brunch / lunch (not a greasy spoon) and where possible an extra stop at a farm shop in case you fancy some nice produce
- EVENING RIDES which will just have a short stop mid-ride
In either case, we’ll be starting from locations around the M25 but will quickly get out onto interesting and scenic routes which will mostly avoid the main A roads. Here are the first three dates in the diary:
- Sat MORNING April 23 – St Albans and over the Chilterns
- Sat MORNING May 28 – Epping and into NE Essex
- Sat MORNING June 25 – Beaconsfield and the Thames Valley
BOOK HERE: https://survivalskills.tidyhq.com/public/schedule/events
A couple of other points –
- rides will be WEATHER DEPENDENT and if it looks like a wet day, I’ll postpone. They’re meant to be fun rides.
- rides are PRE-BOOK ONLY – no turning up with a bunch of mates on the day. If you want me to put a ride together for you and a few friends, let me know
- if a ride is fully booked, drop me a line and I’ll put you on the reserve list and offer you a place on a repeat ride from the same location. But if you realise you can’t make it, let me know so I can offer your place to someone else.
You’ll be riding with an experienced trainer too – whilst I won’t be offering any training, I’ll be happy to discuss anything to do with riding. And I may just have a few copies of my books with me available to buy.
Daring-do not needed, just come along for a nice pleasant ride!
WHAT’S ON IN THE SURVIVAL SKILLS UNIVERSE
APRIL’S LIVE EVENT – ‘SOBS – the full presentation’… Science Of Being Seen is a 45 minute talk covering human visual perception and motorcycle conspicuity, and explains why conventional hi-vis clothing and day-riding lights have proven less than successful at preventing junction collisions. Discover how to use Survival Skills ‘proactive measures’ in your own riding.
WEDNESDAY, 6 APRIL 2022 AT 20:00
Tickets cost £5. BOOK AT: https://survivalskills.tidyhq.com/public/schedule/events
MAY’S LIVE EVENT – ‘OVERTAKING – making it out the other side’… Overtaking is another of the activities that we tend to take for granted when we’re riding a motorcycle, yet lead to more open road fatalities than the crash that riders fear most – the collision at a junction. I’ll offer you insights from my time as a courier, plus sound advice to help you stay out of trouble. Sometimes it’s better practice NOT to make progress!
WEDNESDAY, 4 MAY 2022 AT 20:00
Tickets cost £5. BOOK AT: https://survivalskills.tidyhq.com/public/schedule/events
CLUB & GROUP TALKS – As well as an online talk scheduled for New Zealand, I’ve now got talks scheduled for Uxbridge, Cornwall, Devon and Gloucester and more are in arrangement. If you’d like me to arrange something for your own group or club, get in touch. As well as ‘Science Of Being Seen’, ‘Crash Course (in how not to…)’ and my latest ‘Fewer skills, more Insight’ presentations, I have a selection of others on various riding issues. Available weekday evenings and weekends, via ZOOM or in person. Drop me a line to sort something out.
ELEVENSES ANCHOR PODCAST – the Elevenses webcasts that go out live (almost always) on Wednesdays and Sundays are now available as an audio-only podcast – check them out HERE on Anchor.
LAST WEEK’S ROUND-UP
TRAINING March 21 Why don’t riders take more training? It isn’t cost!
This wasn’t the post I intended to put up this morning, but it’s in response to a reply to my FOCUS on FRIDAY post written before the weekend. I went to some lengths to explain that whilst I do believe that almost any rider can find some benefit from a training course, I also explained why I don’t tell you “you need more training because [insert argument in favour of more training here]”. The full article is here: https://ko-fi.com/Post/FoF-March-18-Whats-rider-improvement-all-about-L4L4BO2JK …if you haven’t previously read it, it’ll give you the context to what I’m talking about this morning. READ MORE…
Elevenses 224 Sun 20 Mar
in today’s show… EU sanctions stop all major bike and parts shipments to Russia… North Wales police back with annual ride safe warning to bikers… Indonesian ministry successfully converts 100 ICE motorcycles to electric in pilot scheme… new Royal Enfield Scram priced at £4599… could a new puncture-proof mousse fix tubed punctures for road bikes… the CG125 is still in production… today’s discussion point – can you learn to ride in three minutes? BikeSocial say you can! WATCH NOW…
SoS March 19 Approaching a red light Pt 1
Last week, I explained what a stale green light was and where the term came from. I also mentioned that I’d come across a driving instructor talking about a ‘fresh green’ light and I suggested we should treat them with equal care, since we have no idea how long they’ll stay green. But what about a red light? There are two possibilities – it stays red in which case we’ll have to stop, or it changes and allows us to proceed. To keep the post reasonably short, I’ll this week, I’ll look at one of the issues of coming to a halt – the transference of risk from ahead to behind. READ MORE…
FoF March 18 What’s rider improvement all about?
Why do I spend so much time online writing about road safety, riding technique, psychology, visual perception and all the rest? Well, it’s not to get rich, that’s for sure. And it’s not, as was recently stated by someone that other month, because I think riders: “…MUST improve, MUST be seen more, MUST… whatever”. Actually, I am pretty sure I have NEVER said any such thing. READ MORE…
Elevenses 223 Wed 16 Mar
in today’s show… more manufacturers suspend operations in Russia… rising fuel prices – pick a number says expert… Royal Enfield’s new 411 Scram… after four decades Honda resurrect the cult Dax… disabled Deliveroo rider’s wheelchair adapted bike trash by yobs, crowd-funding pays for replacement inside 24 hours… more about the Survival Skills mini ride-outs… US e-cycle builder moves into e-motorcycles… today’s discussion point – if you can’t go electric, how can you save fuel on the bike? Some tips for getting the most miles per litre… WATCH NOW…
ToT March 15 One-way streets – how to fail your bike test Part Nine
I was reading a post on a Facebook group not too long ago. To cut it short, it was a rant from a learner who’d just been put to the “time and expense” of taking another bike test because of the “unfairness” of the examiner. He told us: “I’m a perfectly safe rider, been riding for a couple of years on L plates so I know what I’m doing on a bike. The test isn’t fair and the examiner tricked me – how was I supposed to know I was in a one-way street when he told me to turn right?” READ MORE…
And from the 60 Second Safety series on YouTube…
That’s it for today. Each issue is usually out Monday’s but other commitments may mean a change of date. I’d welcome your feedback, as always.
Kevin Williams / Survival Skills
www.survivalskills.co.uk
