Finally pulled my finger out and joined. Lovely to read what people have said and I have had been fortunate to meet a few of you.
Wednesday saw the second Bike Experience event take place. Lindsay and Chris were our next two riders that wanted to see what it was like to try and ride again. It is a big step to make and the inherent risks of riding are still there, so even turning up on the day shows that they are ballsy. We were supported throughout the day by a great group of volunteers and helpers, some of which were only contacted on the Monday sue to some other pulling out. The days could not really go ahead without their support, so I am eternally grateful.....that goes out to you...Steve/Ross/Nick/Maca....and anyone else I forgot to mention (I blame my bad memory on my medication).
We started off in the paddock, with both riders learning to get on the bike, launch, stop and get off.
We moved the riders between the two bikes, SV650 and GSXR600, so that each was comfortable on a bike for them to ride on the track. Chris, who was shorter the Lindsay suited the GSXR and Lindsay was happy to be on the SV, so there were no complaints!
When we moved into the pit lane, the rain began. This made the track pretty slippery, as one track day rider found out when his bike went away from underneath him, slid down the track right next to us and then burst into flames. Not the greatest confidence boost for the two nervous riders, which was slightly compounded by the Snr Instructors briefing who claimed the track was really slippery and we needed extra care! These factors really set off the ‘demons’ in Lindsay’s head, and try as she might, she couldn’t shake them off and felt unable to get out on the track. We never force anyone to do anything they don’t feel comfortable doing, so I took Chris out around the track for his first session whilst Lindsay had some time to relax.
Chris did really well and we made it back in one piece, despite the slippery track, to much cheers from those with him and helping him. We made another few track sessions with Chris, but each time Lindsay tried, the worries grew. It wasn’t to be her day, but she has said she wants to return and try again, the sign of real determination to overcome and get back to riding a bike.
So, despite the weather, we had a great day and as an event we learned a few more things and saw that even with the best will in the world, there are still huge mental challenges for all who come to the track. But as we all know, it’s not the knock-downs, but how you get back up from them that matters.
