my name is mwd

Those with long memories might remember that last year I attended the local bikesafe course – a Police run course aimed at teaching bikers how to ride better and more safely. As good as the course was, it was mostly class based, and whilst it’s good to know aspects of advanced riding in theory, it’s very different from being able to put them into practice.

To close that gap, over the last year I’ve gone through the training for the IAM Advanced Motorcycling Test. About once a month I’ve been going riding for a couple of hours under the watchful eye of a mentor from the Cambridge Advanced Motorcyclists – where I’ve been taught how to read the road, pick my line, and handle the bike better – all of which has lead to my riding being both more reactive to the conditions of the road and more assertive in how I apply the bike. I now have greater confidence in using more of the bike thanks to this training, and I get more out of riding the bike – our trip to Wales last year was definitely a better experience as I could guide the bike through the twisty back roads better. As another metric, the chicken strip on my tyres (the unused strips on either side) have at least halved since I started my training :)

Last month, I’m happy to say, I passed my test. That said, whilst it’s nice to have the test done and out the way, I never really cared that much about the test – it was all about me getting more out of something I already love, and that’s something I’ve both achieved and look forward to continuing. And if you’re a biker and haven’t yet done it, I really do recommend it!

Finally, a huge thank you to Mac Lewis, my mentor for all this. He made a great teacher, and this newfound skill on the bike is down to his excellent tuition! Thanks Mac!