The rendezvous at the BP on top of the Bombay is now almost routine, and now I'm living mere minutes away from this location there's no doubt Geoff is doing the hard yards in enabling me to improve my two wheeled habits. Yes I know it's all about the right roads and riding environments.
Making progress, as in improving ones' own set of skills, is an enlightening experience. Yes this is obvious, but it was this thought that was at the forefront when I returned from this ride.
The overall ride in itself was unremarkable, covering mostly semi-familiar territory. What was telling for me was how much more at ease I felt when "performing" to a higher standard than what was the norm for me 6-12 months ago.
Our route on this occasion was the usual variety of motorway, urban and rural routes. Had a wee giggle at the sharp left hander on Great South Rd when dropping off the Bombay. No brake application needed here for I knew this corner, Geoff commented positively, but I freely admitted this section of road is routine for me. One thing which stood out on this run was how little traffic we're encountering, near free flow on the motorway from Drury to Mt Wellington is damn near unheard of mid morning on a Wednesday.
Out thru Botany to Whitford, on to Maraetai to end up in Clevedon at the café opposite the monument. The variety of roads was not a problem, but it certainly allowed Geoff to observe how I dealt with them all in a timely fashion. White van driver texting while driving? Road works with stop/go crew? Loose chip with no signs out? Restraint whilst on open road section with short sightlines and multiple driveways? Holding back to make sure rural postie has spotted us? Check on all counts.
It felt like a good, relaxed ride. The A+ rating Geoff gave this was a nice result. Did it feel like hard work? Not as such. My challenge is still with delivering commentary in a concise manner, the tendency to slip into a monologue is still there. In itself not an issue, but like Geoff points out rightfully, when the workload goes up in a more challenging situation this will create an issue.
Part of my ongoing revision includes poring over various videos, must make mention of JK's blog here once more, as the phrase "observational links" keeps popping back into my head. On the whole it still doesn't feel like my performance has the right polish to it, but I accept it's not a finished product as such. This whole IAM experience to me is one of evolving, and thus continuing to improve.
A couple of short practice runs, one in rather damp conditions (unintended) brought home the value of continuing to polish my skill set on two wheels.
We had an interesting discussion about reasons why folks look at IAM and then choose not to participate. More on this next chapter.
Monday, 6 June 2016
Monday, 2 May 2016
6th observed ride - 06.04.16
Absolute cracker of a day for a run around the top end of the Coromandel Loop! Met up with Geoff at Kopu, had a catch up about recent events. I'd spent a night in hospital and a week off work with a bout of orchitis, won't go into full details here, suffice to say it left me rather tender...
To start off with we ducked over to Tairua, and I just felt rusty, bit slow as well which is just my normal response to not being in the groove. A stop at Tairua, with a café treat by Geoff saw us getting back into it with a much better flow. In all fairness, with the benefit of being able to look back from a few weeks later, that bout of orchitis knocked me about much more than I'd realised at the time of this ride.
The benefit of being on the Coro loop on a Wednesday is traffic of course. A couple of other groups of riders, but no sense of that weekend crowd that is common during the summer months. The open road is always a good tonic, and along with my own sense of improvement, I really enjoyed this outing. The commentary had a better flow to it, still needs a lot of work I'll admit, but it felt much less of a chore than previous outings. The way Geoff commented at some point, my riding standard was high whilst delivering commentary, so in a sense the commentary was now less of a distraction on my riding.
We did encounter some slower traffic, so this became an opportunity for restrained overtaking. The trundle thru Whitianga in this respect seemed oh so tedious, albeit providing a brief urban environment, so just allowing for that on-going polishing of skills. Talking about on-going, that's very much how I've seen this IAM journey from the start, not as a singular target but as a continual improvement challenge/opportunity.
The journey to date has been taken in small steps. It's obvious Geoff takes great delight in riding as well as coaching/mentoring guys like myself. For me to see the improvement in my riding is bewildering, the mental approach has been polished and the physical action of extreme positioning makes bend swinging more fun than ever, just to touch on one aspect.
Anyway, Geoff led the way over the last half hour or so, taking us over the saddle before Coromandel itself. Needless to say, the obligatory stop at the lookout over the town itself resulted in a photo opportunity.
To start off with we ducked over to Tairua, and I just felt rusty, bit slow as well which is just my normal response to not being in the groove. A stop at Tairua, with a café treat by Geoff saw us getting back into it with a much better flow. In all fairness, with the benefit of being able to look back from a few weeks later, that bout of orchitis knocked me about much more than I'd realised at the time of this ride.
The benefit of being on the Coro loop on a Wednesday is traffic of course. A couple of other groups of riders, but no sense of that weekend crowd that is common during the summer months. The open road is always a good tonic, and along with my own sense of improvement, I really enjoyed this outing. The commentary had a better flow to it, still needs a lot of work I'll admit, but it felt much less of a chore than previous outings. The way Geoff commented at some point, my riding standard was high whilst delivering commentary, so in a sense the commentary was now less of a distraction on my riding.
We did encounter some slower traffic, so this became an opportunity for restrained overtaking. The trundle thru Whitianga in this respect seemed oh so tedious, albeit providing a brief urban environment, so just allowing for that on-going polishing of skills. Talking about on-going, that's very much how I've seen this IAM journey from the start, not as a singular target but as a continual improvement challenge/opportunity.
The journey to date has been taken in small steps. It's obvious Geoff takes great delight in riding as well as coaching/mentoring guys like myself. For me to see the improvement in my riding is bewildering, the mental approach has been polished and the physical action of extreme positioning makes bend swinging more fun than ever, just to touch on one aspect.
Anyway, Geoff led the way over the last half hour or so, taking us over the saddle before Coromandel itself. Needless to say, the obligatory stop at the lookout over the town itself resulted in a photo opportunity.
How we managed not to rib the IAM fraternity with yet another weekday ride posts just shows our restraint huh?
The hospitality shown by Geoff and Jenny to invite this rogue biker to lunch at their abode was delightful. Awesome retirement spot they've got, with an outlook that would cost a fortune in many European countries. I get the sense that Geoff and I could talk for hours about many different topics, but get us going on bikes and anything engineering related...hope I left before my welcome wore out!
My run home along the coast reminded me yet again of the effort Geoff puts into his role with IAM, that run along the coast is not exactly easy. I've done it plenty of times with a fuel truck in the early 2000's to fill the BP (now a GAS) servo at Coromandel, but on a bike it's obviously a lot more fun.
Encountered one of the groups of riders we'd seen at the Tairua café stop, and here I'll share an interesting observation. Now bear in mind I've not been along that particular bit of road for years on a bike, and here this group of riders used power/speed on the straights to catch up, only for me to walk away from them whenever we had more than one corner. I wasn't doing anything different to normal, just riding my own ride, and the fact I was cornering using correct positioning made my pace seem high. They didn't like obeying 50-70 speed limits though, so I kept left to allow them to scoot past at ticket inducing speeds. Their progress did seem to slow around bends further up ahead though... I remember thinking to myself something along the lines of: "That's how I used to ride as well."
Make of this what you wish. I see it as IAM exposure being a positive influence.
Now I've got some homework to do following this ride, some test examples to complete before the next ride and to practice my list of things to improve on.
PS. One thing I'll add, work related as well as IAM related, is at my last assessment drive had a wee chat with our driver trainer about my IAM activities. This kind of came about at a comment he made about me seeming more fluent and relaxed than normal, bearing in mind I thought of myself as fluent and relaxed behind the wheel of a truck anyway. The word "situational awareness" and how it looked to him that mine had improved, led to us having a chat about what IAM is all about. Have followed up and provided him with some links to have a closer look at IAM, he's an English fella anyway so the advanced driving approach is not foreign to him. Be interesting to see what comes of this...
Wednesday, 9 March 2016
5th observed ride - 08.03.16
So between my session with Philip McDaid and ride #5 with Geoff James, a few events took place. Have had a full programme at work, what with finishing off the training of a new driver and some new equipment intro. We'd also bought a house and moved south of the Bombay hill, and to top it off my dad had a heart attack. So apart from a busy start to the year, the past few weeks have been rather full on, and since I no longer commute by motorcycle, very little riding was done. What I had been working on, was reading the IAM book in short bursts, along with continuing to work on commentary. It's annoying me that giving commentary, in a succinct fashion whilst riding to a high standard, is proving to be such a hurdle for me. Not beating myself up here, just expecting myself to progress faster than I have to date.
But let's get to ride #5 shall we? Meeting point as per usual, BP at Bombay. Had quite a chat with Geoff about various goings on, spent some time revering the experience of riding with Philip. It's one of those things that's hard to quantify/describe in words, the most apt way to put it would be awe-inspiring. Good to hear from Geoff it's quite a common occurrence. Striking as well is how humble Philip actually is, combine this with his abilities and it's easy to see how he's such an asset to IAM as a whole.
So from BP Bombay Geoff and myself headed off, mixture of country roads, bit of motorway work, some busy urban/industrial roads and finishing up at one of Geoffs' favoured debrief locations, a little café in Clevedon. No missed life savers this time, still one or two dabs of the brake which could have been avoided with more finesse. Main hurdle is still the delivery of commentary. Philip made mention of focusing on observational links, which JK also delved into in his blog, and whilst this is supremely easy in theory I'm sorely lacking in the practise thereof. As I indicated in my first paragraph, no commuting by bike along with a full on start to the year...and my calendar has been a bit devoid of serious bike time. And therein lies a bit of my problem, just not getting out and about often enough.
One thing I'll touch on once more is how my mental approach to riding/driving is evolving. The exposure to various safe/defensive/advanced training courses I've done has been good and bad. The different focus along with varying terminology for the same thing, has (and still is at times) been confusing for me. So I can see myself casting aside my past training to adopt the IAM system, but suit it to the vehicle I'm operating at the time.
Let's use one example. In the SAFED training system, which is sponsored or run by NZTA, one aspect is called "lane of least resistance" and applied in a rigid fashion would see me duck and dive across motorway lanes to suit the ebb and flow of traffic. On a bike that would work for sure, but when I share that most of my time is spent trucking along with a 23 metre long 50 tonne fuel rig, this lane of least resistance thought becomes ludicrous to say the least. It also goes patently against what we were taught in the Smiths driving system, which encouraged early lane selection and minimising lane changes as each lane change in itself is a hazard. I know I sound like a dinosaur when I suggest experience is also a good teacher, and using the above example of trucking along I'd prefer to take the minimal lane change approach thank you very much!
The surprising thing was that Geoff rated ride #5 as an A, which isn't what I was expecting. Then again, Philip commented about how when one is getting frustrated with oneself about not making progress that one is approaching the point where it all "clicks" so to speak. Mmmm, must be getting there then...
One wry observation I made a while back to Geoff, about my fuel consumption getting a little worse now that I'm doing the IAM thing. He just grinned and said it's a common observation, more use of revs equals more fuel burn. In all fairness though, riding my bike the way I'm doing now just feels more relaxed and enjoyable, not to mention I feel more in control...
Not much left to add, lots of sorting out of "stuff" to do at the new house still of course. But must make more time to practice and polish my two wheeled skills!!
But let's get to ride #5 shall we? Meeting point as per usual, BP at Bombay. Had quite a chat with Geoff about various goings on, spent some time revering the experience of riding with Philip. It's one of those things that's hard to quantify/describe in words, the most apt way to put it would be awe-inspiring. Good to hear from Geoff it's quite a common occurrence. Striking as well is how humble Philip actually is, combine this with his abilities and it's easy to see how he's such an asset to IAM as a whole.
So from BP Bombay Geoff and myself headed off, mixture of country roads, bit of motorway work, some busy urban/industrial roads and finishing up at one of Geoffs' favoured debrief locations, a little café in Clevedon. No missed life savers this time, still one or two dabs of the brake which could have been avoided with more finesse. Main hurdle is still the delivery of commentary. Philip made mention of focusing on observational links, which JK also delved into in his blog, and whilst this is supremely easy in theory I'm sorely lacking in the practise thereof. As I indicated in my first paragraph, no commuting by bike along with a full on start to the year...and my calendar has been a bit devoid of serious bike time. And therein lies a bit of my problem, just not getting out and about often enough.
One thing I'll touch on once more is how my mental approach to riding/driving is evolving. The exposure to various safe/defensive/advanced training courses I've done has been good and bad. The different focus along with varying terminology for the same thing, has (and still is at times) been confusing for me. So I can see myself casting aside my past training to adopt the IAM system, but suit it to the vehicle I'm operating at the time.
Let's use one example. In the SAFED training system, which is sponsored or run by NZTA, one aspect is called "lane of least resistance" and applied in a rigid fashion would see me duck and dive across motorway lanes to suit the ebb and flow of traffic. On a bike that would work for sure, but when I share that most of my time is spent trucking along with a 23 metre long 50 tonne fuel rig, this lane of least resistance thought becomes ludicrous to say the least. It also goes patently against what we were taught in the Smiths driving system, which encouraged early lane selection and minimising lane changes as each lane change in itself is a hazard. I know I sound like a dinosaur when I suggest experience is also a good teacher, and using the above example of trucking along I'd prefer to take the minimal lane change approach thank you very much!
The surprising thing was that Geoff rated ride #5 as an A, which isn't what I was expecting. Then again, Philip commented about how when one is getting frustrated with oneself about not making progress that one is approaching the point where it all "clicks" so to speak. Mmmm, must be getting there then...
One wry observation I made a while back to Geoff, about my fuel consumption getting a little worse now that I'm doing the IAM thing. He just grinned and said it's a common observation, more use of revs equals more fuel burn. In all fairness though, riding my bike the way I'm doing now just feels more relaxed and enjoyable, not to mention I feel more in control...
Not much left to add, lots of sorting out of "stuff" to do at the new house still of course. But must make more time to practice and polish my two wheeled skills!!
Saturday, 27 February 2016
Half a day with Philip McDaid 23.02.16
Hard work!
Not in a negative sense though. Just watching Philip in action, then listening to the effortless delivery of commentary, is something to aspire to. Yes I fully realise it's his occupation, and he's likely done the same bit of road umpteen times, but still it's pretty to watch. At the outset of my IAM journey, I'd read about encounters with Philip, now I got to see it first hand.
Kicking off with Geoff James there were often references to how Philip would do something/view something, and it didn't take me long to ponder a session with Riderskills doing a Roadcraft course, just working out at which point it would be of most benefit to my improvement was the key. Left it to Geoff to suggest this, after floating the idea with him.
Having met Philip the first time at a social IAM ride in January 2016, the first impression was of a quiet and humble man. The title of Chief Examiner might conjure up an entirely different image...
So met up with Philip, and after a brief chat about what my intentions were for the day, proceeded to an assessment ride. Well my intent was simple, take a step towards the advanced test. So on to the assessment, only about 90 minutes or so, but it seemed like hard work. The ride itself was at a fairly relaxed pace, mixture of familiar and unfamiliar roads. Funny how when fatigue combines with unfamiliar roads, the performance loses a fair bit of fluency.
This last bit is what Philip commented on in an impartial manner. Now ok, I'm not sensitive to being assessed fairly and I certainly didn't disagree that towards the end of the assessment ride my fluency started to fade significantly.
Plenty of positive stuff in how Philip viewed my riding, so at least Geoff James can rest easy haha! So after a coffee and some more chat on what's next, we headed off once more, now with Philip in the lead and giving me bursts of commentary. Well not so much bursts, more like a near non-stop verbal version of what I was seeing. For me this was a master class display, not surprising of course, but a reminder for me of when someone is really good at something, they make it look supremely easy. Mmmm, so I could be either despondent about watching Philip in action or I could see it as a performance to aspire to. So exactly how many years will it take?
For the moment I'm still at a stage where I'm adapting to the IAM approach, as much as it makes sense to me, the variations of defensive driving methods I've been exposed to at work have had a similar focus overall with slightly different methods. In all fairness a good part of my challenge is to deliver a brief commentary in a swift enough fashion so I'm not getting too close to the point I'm commenting on. Another aspect is to touch on all actual and potential hazards and use observational links. Rubbish bins being out could mean a rubbish truck around the next bend. Proximity to a school at start or end time, maybe we drop the speed back a little?
Practice is the key obviously, just need more of it. Next month at work we'll be doing our next SAFED (Safe And Fuel Efficient Driving) refresher course, which has similarities to the IAM approach. Be interesting to see the fresh version of SAFED and do a thorough comparison.
Traipsing around the back of Waimauku, so near yet so far from roads I'm a regular on, was a revelation. Perfect for practising limit points though! Yes, an ST1300 and a Busa can get around backroads at a fair clip. We even managed to practice an overtake or two in these conditions, despite my bikes' lack of power haha... Now limit points or vanishing points aren't new to me, but commenting on limit point getting closer or further away, then using acceleration sense to traverse unfamiliar roads certainly cranks up the sweat glands, nothing to do with 30 degree ambient temps.
The good part was that cranking up the pace a little seemed to keep me crisper and the fluency seemed to improve. Along the way we had multiple stops for debriefs and/or reviews on the last half hour of riding, along with what's next. Good way to break up the half day into manageable chunks of learning.
So to cap off, I'm gonna have to work at elevating my standard and keeping it consistent. Simple in theory and achievable of course. Practice practice practice...
Anyone who gets the chance to ride with Philip will learn a few things!
Not in a negative sense though. Just watching Philip in action, then listening to the effortless delivery of commentary, is something to aspire to. Yes I fully realise it's his occupation, and he's likely done the same bit of road umpteen times, but still it's pretty to watch. At the outset of my IAM journey, I'd read about encounters with Philip, now I got to see it first hand.
Kicking off with Geoff James there were often references to how Philip would do something/view something, and it didn't take me long to ponder a session with Riderskills doing a Roadcraft course, just working out at which point it would be of most benefit to my improvement was the key. Left it to Geoff to suggest this, after floating the idea with him.
Having met Philip the first time at a social IAM ride in January 2016, the first impression was of a quiet and humble man. The title of Chief Examiner might conjure up an entirely different image...
So met up with Philip, and after a brief chat about what my intentions were for the day, proceeded to an assessment ride. Well my intent was simple, take a step towards the advanced test. So on to the assessment, only about 90 minutes or so, but it seemed like hard work. The ride itself was at a fairly relaxed pace, mixture of familiar and unfamiliar roads. Funny how when fatigue combines with unfamiliar roads, the performance loses a fair bit of fluency.
This last bit is what Philip commented on in an impartial manner. Now ok, I'm not sensitive to being assessed fairly and I certainly didn't disagree that towards the end of the assessment ride my fluency started to fade significantly.
Plenty of positive stuff in how Philip viewed my riding, so at least Geoff James can rest easy haha! So after a coffee and some more chat on what's next, we headed off once more, now with Philip in the lead and giving me bursts of commentary. Well not so much bursts, more like a near non-stop verbal version of what I was seeing. For me this was a master class display, not surprising of course, but a reminder for me of when someone is really good at something, they make it look supremely easy. Mmmm, so I could be either despondent about watching Philip in action or I could see it as a performance to aspire to. So exactly how many years will it take?
For the moment I'm still at a stage where I'm adapting to the IAM approach, as much as it makes sense to me, the variations of defensive driving methods I've been exposed to at work have had a similar focus overall with slightly different methods. In all fairness a good part of my challenge is to deliver a brief commentary in a swift enough fashion so I'm not getting too close to the point I'm commenting on. Another aspect is to touch on all actual and potential hazards and use observational links. Rubbish bins being out could mean a rubbish truck around the next bend. Proximity to a school at start or end time, maybe we drop the speed back a little?
Practice is the key obviously, just need more of it. Next month at work we'll be doing our next SAFED (Safe And Fuel Efficient Driving) refresher course, which has similarities to the IAM approach. Be interesting to see the fresh version of SAFED and do a thorough comparison.
Traipsing around the back of Waimauku, so near yet so far from roads I'm a regular on, was a revelation. Perfect for practising limit points though! Yes, an ST1300 and a Busa can get around backroads at a fair clip. We even managed to practice an overtake or two in these conditions, despite my bikes' lack of power haha... Now limit points or vanishing points aren't new to me, but commenting on limit point getting closer or further away, then using acceleration sense to traverse unfamiliar roads certainly cranks up the sweat glands, nothing to do with 30 degree ambient temps.
The good part was that cranking up the pace a little seemed to keep me crisper and the fluency seemed to improve. Along the way we had multiple stops for debriefs and/or reviews on the last half hour of riding, along with what's next. Good way to break up the half day into manageable chunks of learning.
So to cap off, I'm gonna have to work at elevating my standard and keeping it consistent. Simple in theory and achievable of course. Practice practice practice...
Anyone who gets the chance to ride with Philip will learn a few things!
Tuesday, 23 February 2016
4th observed ride 15.02.16
This ride was squeezed in at relatively short notice, what with a half day coming up with Philip McDaid the following week. We're all busy so it's about making the most of whatever opportunity presents itself.
The basic focus going into this ride, on the basis of run 3 assessment, was to maintain riding standard whilst giving commentary. Key comment was use observational links.
So this sounds simple of course, the multi tasking aspect of stuff that isn't second nature to me as yet...yikes this feels like hard work at times! But looking back at how I've made progress to date I'm not put off by this, just realistic about needing more practice.
Commentary overall seems easy, yet it's getting into the groove of providing the right amount of detail, whilst maintaining my riding standard...aarrgghh I'm needing to practice this lots more. The confusing aspect of how we were expected to do this in a work setting, combined with the faster pace of a bike, I'm finding myself running out of time. You know you're taking in the info in front of you, yet it's coming at you faster than you can provide an overview about it? Yes it's just about practice, and I just know I'll get better and more concise at it. I guess this is how frustration feels...
The irony is that in my work setting, by virtue of time on the job and extensive training, I feel in my element. Here on the bike, not so much. No this isn't a negative outlook, just a sense of not making sufficient improvement in my performance. Oh well, I've always been my own worst critic, and as long as it keeps me improving I can live with that.
By nature I've long been a chilled out rider, with my mantra being "nothing to prove" and this has to some degree come about by my work environment. The concept of "making good progress" in the IAM sense, at first anyway, seems at odds with that. On reflection though, it makes perfect sense. The sense of getting on with it, without undue risk taking, reflects the advanced riding/driving concept nicely.
Herein also lies a funny aspect I suppose. Riding a Busa one could never be accused of being short of power, yet it's perhaps my reluctance to let those horses loose whenever the opportunity to overtake comes up, that shows my learning curve still has a way to go? I'm not sure, but having covered a fair few miles on two/four/or more wheels has me quite relaxed about not rushing into an overtake. In the IAM sense, this long standing habit of mine needs to change, at least on two wheels.
Geoff also added a valuable insight, which should be obvious I guess. Whenever I'm doing (or not doing) something, it's worth sharing it verbally so the observer or examiner is aware of my thought process. An example being staying in the right hand lane whenever making progress is best there, or it suits an upcoming turn.
One final comment. I wonder if it'll resonate with others. My hobby of biking had become kind of stagnant, as in lacking purpose, other than to be an escape from day to day activity. To this end, a degree of law breaking had snuck in there, not all of it intentional. Looking at it now, even though I've only been part of the IAM realm for five minutes, the enjoyment of riding and more of a sense of purpose...is back. Feels rather neat. Now to progress thru and make it to observer in due course!
The basic focus going into this ride, on the basis of run 3 assessment, was to maintain riding standard whilst giving commentary. Key comment was use observational links.
So this sounds simple of course, the multi tasking aspect of stuff that isn't second nature to me as yet...yikes this feels like hard work at times! But looking back at how I've made progress to date I'm not put off by this, just realistic about needing more practice.
Commentary overall seems easy, yet it's getting into the groove of providing the right amount of detail, whilst maintaining my riding standard...aarrgghh I'm needing to practice this lots more. The confusing aspect of how we were expected to do this in a work setting, combined with the faster pace of a bike, I'm finding myself running out of time. You know you're taking in the info in front of you, yet it's coming at you faster than you can provide an overview about it? Yes it's just about practice, and I just know I'll get better and more concise at it. I guess this is how frustration feels...
The irony is that in my work setting, by virtue of time on the job and extensive training, I feel in my element. Here on the bike, not so much. No this isn't a negative outlook, just a sense of not making sufficient improvement in my performance. Oh well, I've always been my own worst critic, and as long as it keeps me improving I can live with that.
By nature I've long been a chilled out rider, with my mantra being "nothing to prove" and this has to some degree come about by my work environment. The concept of "making good progress" in the IAM sense, at first anyway, seems at odds with that. On reflection though, it makes perfect sense. The sense of getting on with it, without undue risk taking, reflects the advanced riding/driving concept nicely.
Herein also lies a funny aspect I suppose. Riding a Busa one could never be accused of being short of power, yet it's perhaps my reluctance to let those horses loose whenever the opportunity to overtake comes up, that shows my learning curve still has a way to go? I'm not sure, but having covered a fair few miles on two/four/or more wheels has me quite relaxed about not rushing into an overtake. In the IAM sense, this long standing habit of mine needs to change, at least on two wheels.
Geoff also added a valuable insight, which should be obvious I guess. Whenever I'm doing (or not doing) something, it's worth sharing it verbally so the observer or examiner is aware of my thought process. An example being staying in the right hand lane whenever making progress is best there, or it suits an upcoming turn.
One final comment. I wonder if it'll resonate with others. My hobby of biking had become kind of stagnant, as in lacking purpose, other than to be an escape from day to day activity. To this end, a degree of law breaking had snuck in there, not all of it intentional. Looking at it now, even though I've only been part of the IAM realm for five minutes, the enjoyment of riding and more of a sense of purpose...is back. Feels rather neat. Now to progress thru and make it to observer in due course!
Saturday, 13 February 2016
3rd observed ride 31.01.16
So on the last Sunday each month the Auckland IAM crew gather at Westgate. For the January month end social ride my observer Geoff James and myself joined this gathering of the troops. After the briefing, which served as a good opportunity to meet a few more members, Geoff and I trundled off for an observed ride. Commentary whilst maintaining the riding standard was the key element. Ridge Road was an interesting bit of road, short sightlines and constantly varying corner radii. Still, apply the system and all should be well huh? Almost, had to use a bit of brake at the beginning of Ridge Rd when I misjudged a corner...tut tut!
Down the hill into Albany the next small error, not getting enough engine braking going into the 50 km zone, so slightly over the limit. Missed a couple of head checks and while the ride overall got a good review, it's niggling to me that the multitasking elements take more practice than anticipated.
One very important thing Geoff pointed out early on this ride is to use shorter decisive phrases during commentary. My habit is to use "looks like" when approaching a corner, together with "tightening" or "opening" which suggests I'm guessing when it's merely a habit in how I talk or jabber to myself. Fair point though, and one I've been working on.
Another valid point Geoff brought up was to call out the speed zone changes well in advance, together with the requisite mirror check for aggro drivers as well as situational awareness all around. On main thoroughfare type routes, by nature of my trucking background, my familiarity with the roads and also speed zones I was being cautious with calling out speed zone changes coming up. Last thing I wanted to be doing was calling a speed change out before the sign is actually in sight... On the back roads this isn't an issue of course, but come onto the motorways etc and it's like my own sandbox.
The debrief took part in Clevedon, all very positive stuff, but as always aspects to work on. Joined Geoff for a trundle down past Kaiaua, before turning for home thru the Hunua Gorge. We both copped some rain but that's just part of being out on two wheels isn't it?
A couple of short practice runs in the meantime to build a rhythm or routine, but self assessment is not one of my specialties I'll admit.
Sunday 14.02 saw me join the Auckland IAM crew for a social ride. Quite a mixed bunch of bikes and ages of riders. Cool to see a few women riders amongst this bunch as well. What was most pleasing though was the general discipline of the riders, no squids or heroes here. For quite some years I've shied away from riding with groups, preferring to ride with a small number of guys whose riding is sensible. The system of ride leader, tail-end-Charlie and using the tagging system to guide riders in the pack in the right direction was new to me. Makes perfect sense doing it this way though.
Observing the variation of skill levels was an eye opener, seeing one of the newer associates have a moment and then let a bunch of us past, this showed maturity. Rather than exceeding his comfort zone, let the faster runners thru and it's no sweat. In some ways it also shows more experienced riders how far we've come over the years of riding we've done.
So todays' route took us from Westgate around the back roads to Woodcocks Rd, onto SH1 at Warkworth and gather at the Puhoi pub. For my liking this was merely a warm-up to a real ride, so I came home more or less this way as well. And avoiding the motorway as much as I can, why not turn off at Kumeu and head home across Scenic Drive? Yep, I prefer the back roads on my bike, especially seeing I cover plenty of clicks on main routes while trucking along...can you blame me?
Now Geoff has commented my riding standard has improved to the point where I should start thinking about a date for the advanced test. On the surface this is daunting as well as challenging. Off for another observed ride with Geoff come Monday 15.01 and the following week a day with Philip McDaid as part of my prep for the inevitable advanced test. We all go thru this in order to gain full membership of IAM of course, and whilst I want to do well, I keep telling myself to keep calm. No snipers on the ridges and no incoming mortar fire and all that...
In reality the testing of my habits/skills etc is part and parcel of my job, what with being assessed at least once every six months. The joys of driving fuel tankers I guess. But hey, I get days off during the week so I can trundle along my favourite back roads while they're deserted.
Down the hill into Albany the next small error, not getting enough engine braking going into the 50 km zone, so slightly over the limit. Missed a couple of head checks and while the ride overall got a good review, it's niggling to me that the multitasking elements take more practice than anticipated.
One very important thing Geoff pointed out early on this ride is to use shorter decisive phrases during commentary. My habit is to use "looks like" when approaching a corner, together with "tightening" or "opening" which suggests I'm guessing when it's merely a habit in how I talk or jabber to myself. Fair point though, and one I've been working on.
Another valid point Geoff brought up was to call out the speed zone changes well in advance, together with the requisite mirror check for aggro drivers as well as situational awareness all around. On main thoroughfare type routes, by nature of my trucking background, my familiarity with the roads and also speed zones I was being cautious with calling out speed zone changes coming up. Last thing I wanted to be doing was calling a speed change out before the sign is actually in sight... On the back roads this isn't an issue of course, but come onto the motorways etc and it's like my own sandbox.
The debrief took part in Clevedon, all very positive stuff, but as always aspects to work on. Joined Geoff for a trundle down past Kaiaua, before turning for home thru the Hunua Gorge. We both copped some rain but that's just part of being out on two wheels isn't it?
A couple of short practice runs in the meantime to build a rhythm or routine, but self assessment is not one of my specialties I'll admit.
Sunday 14.02 saw me join the Auckland IAM crew for a social ride. Quite a mixed bunch of bikes and ages of riders. Cool to see a few women riders amongst this bunch as well. What was most pleasing though was the general discipline of the riders, no squids or heroes here. For quite some years I've shied away from riding with groups, preferring to ride with a small number of guys whose riding is sensible. The system of ride leader, tail-end-Charlie and using the tagging system to guide riders in the pack in the right direction was new to me. Makes perfect sense doing it this way though.
Observing the variation of skill levels was an eye opener, seeing one of the newer associates have a moment and then let a bunch of us past, this showed maturity. Rather than exceeding his comfort zone, let the faster runners thru and it's no sweat. In some ways it also shows more experienced riders how far we've come over the years of riding we've done.
So todays' route took us from Westgate around the back roads to Woodcocks Rd, onto SH1 at Warkworth and gather at the Puhoi pub. For my liking this was merely a warm-up to a real ride, so I came home more or less this way as well. And avoiding the motorway as much as I can, why not turn off at Kumeu and head home across Scenic Drive? Yep, I prefer the back roads on my bike, especially seeing I cover plenty of clicks on main routes while trucking along...can you blame me?
Now Geoff has commented my riding standard has improved to the point where I should start thinking about a date for the advanced test. On the surface this is daunting as well as challenging. Off for another observed ride with Geoff come Monday 15.01 and the following week a day with Philip McDaid as part of my prep for the inevitable advanced test. We all go thru this in order to gain full membership of IAM of course, and whilst I want to do well, I keep telling myself to keep calm. No snipers on the ridges and no incoming mortar fire and all that...
In reality the testing of my habits/skills etc is part and parcel of my job, what with being assessed at least once every six months. The joys of driving fuel tankers I guess. But hey, I get days off during the week so I can trundle along my favourite back roads while they're deserted.
Monday, 18 January 2016
2nd observed ride 10.01.16 (and subsequent practice runs)
The festive season and working a full roster put the kybosh on any serious practice leading up to my 2nd observed run. Not an excuse, as I'd been doing commentary to myself while trucking along. At times the Drivecam would go off whilst I was doing commentary, oh well, the reviewer of the footage must've just thought I was yapping to myself... The odd short ride (1 to 2 hours) I managed to sneak in, but no solid half day or more stuff, which in all honesty is how I prefer to do it.
But about my observed run. I got the basics of commentary more or less right, but the objective is more about what's of potential harm to me, almost as in a case of less is more. I was thinking too much still in terms of what was expected of us when I was doing the Smiths' driving system at work. Or maybe the trainer who taught the Smiths' system to us had an odd idea about it, for we were expected to pretty much briefly touch on damn near everything. Geoff once again referred me to JK's blog, which in itself is a tomb of info for a new associate like myself.
What slipped a little was head checks and keeping a good eye on my mirrors, then incorporating that mirror info. Again, JK's blog offers useful advice for building a routine that incorporates the various aspects. Simple stuff at times. Speed change coming up? Mirror check for the impatient or distracted driver behind and call out the new speed zone we're entering. Turning off up ahead? Head check, signal and turn. In basic terms, the more I ride, the more of this stuff should become part of my routine and thus the multitasking sense of at times having "too much stuff to do" will fade.
So the main objective for me from the observed run on 10.01.16 was to practice commentary (in a succinct fashion) to myself whilst maintaining my riding standard. Given that in due course I'll end up doing a roadcraft training day with Philip McDaid (Chief Examiner and of Riderskills fame) as well as the actual IAM advanced test, it made sense to venture out west this time.
Having gone out before the advancing storm may seem like an odd thing to do, well on purpose anyway. Meh, only did an hour or so in the start of the rain. Heading for home anyway, so not a biggie. Next day though, the sky started off blue and clear, so with the fabric gear still damp I climbed into my leather one piece and ventured out looking like a racer, yet going out to practice at legal speeds. The irony...
Here's another funny aside, well funny to me at least. When I learned to ride, on the trusty GN250 many moons ago, it was deemed a challenge to run the length of Scenic Drive without any "oh shit!!" moments. Three decades later, running along Scenic Drive on a Busa, it's damn near like driving a V8 touring car on a go-cart track. Lots of fun, but also filled with the potential for an off. The road was still littered in places with debris from the storm that passed thru the night before, and to top it off also copped a few showers. Just to keep those PR4s earning their keep I suppose... Strangely enough there was a brief oh shit moment when a car ducked out of a side road without even slowing down. Not sure whether the driver had a stop or a give way sign on their road...or in this case it might have read please yourself?
Anyway, purposely seeking out winding roads which I knew back at the start of my riding career sums it up. So here I am, practising IPSGA and SSV whilst doing commentary in brief 10-15 minute bursts. Stopping for the occasional photo opportunity, as you do, and after being out for about 6 hours I'd barely covered 300 clicks. Plus, in all honesty I was getting kind of fatigued. The previous weeks had been hectic, all full on at work, the family stuff over Xmas & New Years, Mums' birthday and the heat/humidity, all adding up to make me feel older than my age. Thoroughly enjoyable all the same, trundling around the back of Auckland Airport, over to Scenic Drive, Kumeu, Helensville, Kaukapakapa, up to Wellsford then return more or less via same route.
Did I accomplish improvements though? Well, I reckon progress was made. Self assessment is a tricky thing though, so I'll let Geoff decide.
To cap this off, learning is always best done in small steps. Yes it's been said before, and if nothing else I'm saying it to myself again here. Learn one thing properly before adding the next step. Oh, and keep re-reading JK's blog!
But about my observed run. I got the basics of commentary more or less right, but the objective is more about what's of potential harm to me, almost as in a case of less is more. I was thinking too much still in terms of what was expected of us when I was doing the Smiths' driving system at work. Or maybe the trainer who taught the Smiths' system to us had an odd idea about it, for we were expected to pretty much briefly touch on damn near everything. Geoff once again referred me to JK's blog, which in itself is a tomb of info for a new associate like myself.
What slipped a little was head checks and keeping a good eye on my mirrors, then incorporating that mirror info. Again, JK's blog offers useful advice for building a routine that incorporates the various aspects. Simple stuff at times. Speed change coming up? Mirror check for the impatient or distracted driver behind and call out the new speed zone we're entering. Turning off up ahead? Head check, signal and turn. In basic terms, the more I ride, the more of this stuff should become part of my routine and thus the multitasking sense of at times having "too much stuff to do" will fade.
So the main objective for me from the observed run on 10.01.16 was to practice commentary (in a succinct fashion) to myself whilst maintaining my riding standard. Given that in due course I'll end up doing a roadcraft training day with Philip McDaid (Chief Examiner and of Riderskills fame) as well as the actual IAM advanced test, it made sense to venture out west this time.
Having gone out before the advancing storm may seem like an odd thing to do, well on purpose anyway. Meh, only did an hour or so in the start of the rain. Heading for home anyway, so not a biggie. Next day though, the sky started off blue and clear, so with the fabric gear still damp I climbed into my leather one piece and ventured out looking like a racer, yet going out to practice at legal speeds. The irony...
Here's another funny aside, well funny to me at least. When I learned to ride, on the trusty GN250 many moons ago, it was deemed a challenge to run the length of Scenic Drive without any "oh shit!!" moments. Three decades later, running along Scenic Drive on a Busa, it's damn near like driving a V8 touring car on a go-cart track. Lots of fun, but also filled with the potential for an off. The road was still littered in places with debris from the storm that passed thru the night before, and to top it off also copped a few showers. Just to keep those PR4s earning their keep I suppose... Strangely enough there was a brief oh shit moment when a car ducked out of a side road without even slowing down. Not sure whether the driver had a stop or a give way sign on their road...or in this case it might have read please yourself?
Anyway, purposely seeking out winding roads which I knew back at the start of my riding career sums it up. So here I am, practising IPSGA and SSV whilst doing commentary in brief 10-15 minute bursts. Stopping for the occasional photo opportunity, as you do, and after being out for about 6 hours I'd barely covered 300 clicks. Plus, in all honesty I was getting kind of fatigued. The previous weeks had been hectic, all full on at work, the family stuff over Xmas & New Years, Mums' birthday and the heat/humidity, all adding up to make me feel older than my age. Thoroughly enjoyable all the same, trundling around the back of Auckland Airport, over to Scenic Drive, Kumeu, Helensville, Kaukapakapa, up to Wellsford then return more or less via same route.
Did I accomplish improvements though? Well, I reckon progress was made. Self assessment is a tricky thing though, so I'll let Geoff decide.
To cap this off, learning is always best done in small steps. Yes it's been said before, and if nothing else I'm saying it to myself again here. Learn one thing properly before adding the next step. Oh, and keep re-reading JK's blog!
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