Chair's Chatter

...Associates should hear this after every OR, every Observer will tell you this after every OR, but do you actually do it? Only you know…

I took up golf two years ago and unsurprisingly I’m not very good, it takes many, many hours to get proficient and I don’t have many spares, most of that is spent Observing and riding my bike to stay as sharp as I can or even better myself.  But there’s no test in golf, there’s no time limit and there’s a very useful handicap system to overcome my poor technique, but mastering Advanced Riding and passing the test isn’t like golf.

How many hours does it take to be the best? Well, I’m sure we’ve all heard the 10,000 hours analogy, but that’s excessive, so how about 100 hours that sounds more manageable.

How many rides is that? Let’s say a two- hour practice ride, that’s fifty practice rides. How many OR’s should you need, for some only five or six, so let’s be generous and say ten.

How many miles is that? It depends on the roads and where you live, I guess, but let’s say fifty miles for every two hours of riding practice.

So that equates to five times more practice rides than OR’s; or in other words you need to ride your bike and practice at least five times for every OR you receive which is roughly 250 miles, minimum.

So, can we tell if you haven’t done that? Probably yes, but if you’re struggling with something or your score is flatlining speak to your Observer and be honest with them and yourself, we want to help you, whilst also making the best use of our Observers time and resources.

If you’re not improving, ask yourself why not? Have you ridden and practised enough, quality practice, riding to the system every time? Studying the ARC handbook and Highway Code?

There’s little point booking another OR if you haven’t practised, or if you know you haven’t advanced since your last OR.

Quality is better than quantity my Dad reminded me as a teenager when I’d drunk too much beer again, and practice makes perfect is another, although not so much in relation to drinking beer.

We can help you become a better rider, but you need to help yourself too...  

The weather is getting warmer and drier, the Tracker calendar is filling up fast.

Check out what’s planned, look out for “what’s going on in LAM” courtesy of the MailChimp, read Progress and see you at a Group Meeting, AOR, FMR, Social ride...

Ride smarter, Ride safe and enjoy...

...Oh, and PRACTICE!

Steve X