Wednesday 22nd saw the fourth running of The Bike Experience. Jeremy and Dan were the two riders attending this event, both were riding for the first time since their accidents and for Jeremy this meant the first time in 29 years.
The day started off wet and windy, so not ideal conditions. After the briefing and explanation of how the bike works, Talan demonstrated how to launch and catch so that the Launch Crew were all ready and the riders got a good idea of what was required. The slow speed stuff causes most problems with the riders and today was no exception. Jeremy headed off without any wobbles, but during the slow speed turn he felt that he was running wide and running into the barriers at the end of the fenced off area. Instead of looking where he wanted to go, he looked at the fence and simply fell over. Everyone rushed down to help him, as he was at the far end of the paddock. The only injury was a dent to the pride, so the bike and the rider were brought back up to the top end and we tried again. This time, running faster, and with two people near the fence for assistance, Jeremy set off, made his turn and returned in one piece.
Dan, having seen the fall, felt the tension and nerves rise another notch. Making sure he took his time and felt secure on the bike, the point was made again, turn at greater speed and don’t stop otherwise you will fall over. Focusing on the job at hand, Dan launched, lapped around the area and came back in for a successful catch. This was the hardest part over, so a break was taken before heading to the pits.
By the time we heading out onto the track the sun had come out, the track had dried and everyone was feeling more positive. The first couple of sessions went by without any further trouble, with the riders growing in confidence. Dan and Jeremy then went onto 1 on 1 tuition with the instructors, who brought the smoothness and speed up in steady increments. By the end of the hour, both riders were easily traveling down the start/finish straight at speeds of over 100mph.
Both Dan and Jeremy were over the moon with the riding, and both have booked to come again for Level 2. Jeremy had been thinking about this day for 29 years, so it was really special to be part of a day that has meant so much to him. The Launch Crew were brilliant, the supporters were excellent and we look forward to seeing the two riders again in the near future.
