Meet Andrew Ridyard

My journey to becoming an advanced rider … with a First pass!

Death traps!! My dear Mum never wanted me to have a motorbike as a teenager; actually, she banned me from even ever riding pillion with my best mate. She reasoned that I’d probably kill myself … probably she was right. She paid for 6 driving lessons for me in her Anglia, and I passed first time, 2 months after my 17th birthday - I never looked back, until…

…At almost 60 years old I bought my first motorbike (meet ‘Toni’, Triumph Tiger 800 XrX, 94bhp), actually purchased on the day I passed my direct access course. My dear wife, Bea, who *did* own a motorbike as a teenager, but hated driving in traffic, said “no way am I going on the back with you until you’ve driven at least 1000 miles”; cue drive to north wales and back! “Ok, I’ll ride with you now”. Cue drive to Spain to live in Palma with Toni and Bea, via the Pyrenees - it was _fantastic_, but I was shitting myself more than once, usually at *low speed*, laden with full luggage panniers, top box and wife. First times experiencing coming off, at walking pace, fortunately!! More like *falling over*, than actually coming off - surprisingly familiar I learnt from my few, new biking friends. No harm, except to dignity, but recognising that I need to improve my riding skills … a lot!

Wind forward to June 2018, me and Toni the Tiger driving back to Cornwall from Palma de Mallorca (sadly without Bea this time as she had an injured leg from a suspected *snake bite* while we were hiking in North Macedonia in May!). The route was north from Barcelona ferry, via night 1 in the south of France, Biarrtiz night 2, northern Pyrenees night 3, and then crossing from Santander to Plymouth, night 4. Home with well over 8,000 miles under my belt after 2 years riding, often in the mountains of Mallorca; safer, more confident, loving the whole motorbike riding experience, but aware ‘advanced riding skills’ could be obtained from proper instruction …somewhere. 

I made some enquiries (not a member of a motorcycle club yet, having only recently returned to UK), then there was the whole, sorry and sad Covid pandemic period, which delayed my quest. So I had not found what I was really looking for until, eventually I went for a ride in 2021 with my mate Pete Winkler (Triumph Speedmaster), and his mate Terry (Yamaha Tracer 900)… Bingo! Terry is cool, and the first Advanced Motorcycle rider and observer I’d ever ridden with. He gave me his card. And soon I was talking to Tim Collins of the Cornwall Advanced Motorcycling club (CAM); wonderful, enthusiastic conversation, inspiring me to join in with the IAM scheme to train advanced motorcycling skills, with even a 50% discount on the normal course fee. What’s not to like?

So enter the venerable David Mooney, my allotted IAM ‘observer’ and my training began in the summer 2021; Covid lockdowns over, at last! First meeting with David, Asda Falmouth carpark “Don’t I know you, David?!”. Turns out, David was indeed one of my CBT instructors back in 2016 prior to my Direct Access Course. He wasn’t sure, but then I reminded him he had taught me back then two important *extra things*: 1) counter/positive-steering, 2) “Hello, hello”, both mirrors check, when changing speed limits. David! You’re a star! My regular CBT instructor I clearly remember was a bit cross David had told us mere novices about positive steering. Why on earth do they not teach positive steering at least in the Direct Access Course?! Makes no sense.

So David continues to give me two further great observed rides, developing the counter steering (“jog the tank with your outside knee to get it to go a bit faster”, fantastic!) wider P1/P2/P3 road line for best visibility into bends which certainly was outside my comfort zone - eek! the ‘kitty litter’ seemed to beckon on those first, taken-wider right handers! Slowly, my new advanced riding techniques seemed to become more natural, with David preparing me superbly in time for me to go to the Picos de Europa, Northern Spain in September with my long-time buddy from Mallorca, Mark (Honda VFR 750). So here’s me back on the ferry to Santander, Mark on a ferry to Valencia (much cheaper from Palma than Barcelona), so we met up at Hotel Valdecoro, Potes (highly recommended) where we stayed 4 nights in the heart of the Picos and had superb riding each day of 150-200km around the best twisties ever in super weather, with David’s (or ‘Yoda’ as I now liked to think of him!) expert guidance running through my mind, always driving to be safe but fun, ready to give up my line for maximum safety, ready to jog that tank!

I rode back to Palma with Mark, through the huge, flat Rioja wine region with fully automated grape picking going on (never seen that before!), closed down my office in Palma (not been back since Covid) and then rode back-to-back in the UK with another almost 3000 miles on the clock in a bit over 2 weeks. First ride out with David again … he noticed the difference! “Blimey Andy, you ride like that, and you’ll be ready for your test in no time!” Thank you, thank you David, it is down to you and your skilful pointing out of these subtle, small errors at this stage and where improvements can be made and how they can be made is the essence of advanced motorcycling, all I had to do was to apply them until they had become second nature.

The time approaches in the new year 2022 to get me ready for my IAM test. A couple more rides with David (after a small matter of me doing a transatlantic crossing with my wife in November/December). I’ve been working on my Achilles heel of letting my speed creep up too much in 20 and 30 limits (and I have to admit I got a speeding ticket for doing 56 in a 50 limit, literally just after I got off the Standander to Plymouth ferry in September - damn and blast, and yeah pay for the speed awareness course and learn something new, really!) and so now, to the pre-test ride with Malcolm Ferrar…

Malcom brought a new set of eyes and ideas to my advanced motorcycling coaching; all the good stuff already gleaned from David but how to stick to 30mph limit? Go at exactly 30mph, as traffic permits. Simple! Malcolm was great. We did the usual west Cornwall test route together, but it was also different, with a different man, and Malcolm thoroughly put me through my paces - slow riding technique which David taught me (clutch, throttle, and all important foot brake all in balance) was perfect, speed holding perfect, courtesy to other road users - everything was spot on, so now I’m ready for the test. Thanks Malcolm!

Comes the test day in March, and it’s the East Cornwall route, which David had typically thoughtfully taken me on before, which includes that novel road traffic control scheme in the middle of Bodmin with no road markings! It’s basically all about the rules of the road and courtesy to other road users - especially pedestrians and cyclists with the new Highway Code additions! Dear David, what a star - he took the time to lead me to Damerills, to meet up with Chris who was to be my IAM examiner. A bit of chat, a run through pre-ride checks with POWDERY - damn forgot W is for WATER! - and off we go, through the ‘Cornish Alps’ surrounding St. Austell. It feels good, I’m keeping to the speed limits, but giving it plenty of welly when we go national speed limit (“Hello, Hello”, mirror checks I hear David in my mind). Loving the ride. 40 minutes later we cruse into Morrisons car park, Bodmin. Now for the verdict, from Chris…

Two small minors: forgetting that W in POWDERY, and slowing down for a truck approaching to come out of a minor side road, but actually being blocked by oncoming traffic (I actually might have disputed that one on the grounds that one of the cars may have swerved out as he approached) but otherwise, “great ride, Andy. I really enjoyed the ride and was hard pressed to keep up with you on that Tiger! You showed real ‘sparkle’ (ahh, that word!). You’ve passed and with a FIRST. Congratulations! I think we’ll be having you on the master course in the Autumn and you should consider being an IAM observer.” Phew, can’t say better than that! 

What a great journey it’s been for me with excellent and wise observers and I’ve even made a new friend in David Mooney. But thank you all, IAM people, for being so kind with your time and being a really caring organisation to make motorcycling one of the safest ways of getting around. My Mum was wrong!!
Andrew Ridyard Easter 2022