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NEWS - Last Tuesday I was in Cornwall… delivering Science Of Being Seen (SOBS) to a mixed group of Cornwall IAM and Cornwall MAG at Ladock, near Truro. A very quick headcount suggested that over 80 of the 100 seats in the hall were filled, and the talk was well-received with some interesting questions at the end which is always very gratifying. I’ve a second session booked for a RoSPA group in Devon in mid-June.
If you want to see the SAME SOBS presentation, it’s the one going out on Wed 3 August as my ONLINE TALK EVENT. The next SOBS presentation is looking at one area IN-DEPTH and ==LAST CHANCE TO BOOK== on Wed 1 June, I’ll be looking at the issues of motion camouflage and why lateral movement helps bike detection. Between the two on Wed 6 July, it’ll be one of my ‘better biking’ talks when I’ll be looking at Fixing Cornering Problems. The previous event got excellent feedback and one viewer described it as a ‘masterclass’. Tickets to all these events cost £5 and you can book up here:
BOOK AT: https://survivalskills.tidyhq.com/public/schedule/events
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ON-ROAD TRAINING SPRING 2022
COURSES NOW BOOKING - The days have stretched right out and we’ve now had some lovely warm and sunny days. And that means it’s time for EVENING TRAINING too. Drop me a line and see if I can fit you in with a course from my start points around the M25, within convenient distances of much of SE England. Courses for all riders from newly qualified to advanced. Whatever you ride, however you ride, just bring along some enthusiasm!
LAST MINUTE AVAILABILITY - Save some cash with a last minute booking. Check your diary, drop me a line and find out how much you can save! Right now, these dates are free: Thu 2 OXFORD ONLY / Fri 3 / Sat 4 / Sun 5.
Choose between various topics and different length courses:
BRONZE one-day: £269
SILVER two-day: £499
GOLD three-day: £719
PLATINUM four-day: £929 -
ONLINE COACHING
And if that doesn’t work for you, because of cost or distance, why not think about an inexpensive forty minute online coaching session? As Martin Hide explains:
"The online session worked really well, we were able to cover a lot of ground and it increased my understanding of several key areas of Kevin’s approach to safer riding. I would recommend anyone to give an online session a try, I think you’ll be surprised at just how much you’ll get out of it."
I have a range of pre-prepared topics. Alternatively present me with a question or problem, and we’ll take it from there.
ON THE ROAD IN 2022 - mini ride-outs
Here's the idea. I know some riders are put off group riding by the high-speed, crash-happy reputation of big ride-out groups, so I’m planning something very different - limited numbers (five bikes max), leisurely pace (fine for an A2 bike) and relatively short distances (max 100 miles). These will either be:
MORNING RIDES with a decent mid-ride break to rest and socialise over a decent brunch / lunch (not a greasy spoon) and where possible an extra stop at a farm shop in case you fancy some nice produce
EVENING RIDES which will just have a short stop mid-ride
In either case, we'll be starting from locations around the M25 but will quickly get out onto interesting and scenic routes which will mostly avoid the main A roads. Here is the next date in the diary:
Sat MORNING July 30 - destination to be confirmed
BOOK HERE: https://survivalskills.tidyhq.com/public/schedule/events
A couple of other points -
rides will be WEATHER DEPENDENT and if it looks like a wet day, I'll postpone. They're meant to be fun rides.
rides are PRE-BOOK ONLY - no turning up with a bunch of mates on the day. If you want me to put a ride together for you and a few friends, let me know
if a ride is fully booked, drop me a line and I'll put you on the reserve list and offer you a place on a repeat ride from the same location. But if you realise you can't make it, let me know so I can offer your place to someone else.
You'll be riding with an experienced trainer too - whilst I won't be offering any training, I'll be happy to discuss anything to do with riding. And I may just have a few copies of my books with me available to buy.
Daring-do not needed, just come along for a nice pleasant ride!
WHAT’S ON IN THE SURVIVAL SKILLS UNIVERSE
JUNE'S LIVE EVENT - 'SOBS - the fine detail'… Science Of Being Seen looks at the SMIDSY crash, human visual perception and motorcycle conspicuity, and explains why conventional hi-vis clothing and day-riding lights have proven less than successful at preventing junction collisions. This talk covers the topic of 'Motion Camouflage' and lateral motion in depth.
WEDNESDAY 1 JUNE 2022 AT 20:00 Tickets cost £5.
BOOK AT: https://survivalskills.tidyhq.com/public/schedule/events
CLUB & GROUP TALKS - this spring, I’ve delivered presentations direct to the BMW Club in Uffington, for the West London Riders Group in Uxbridge and for the Shiny Side Up event in New Zealand (that was me online at 2am!). And I’m due to talk in person in Cornwall, Devon and Gloucester - more are in arrangement. If you'd like me to arrange something for your own group or club, get in touch. As well as 'Science Of Being Seen', 'Crash Course (in how not to...)’ and my latest ‘Fewer skills, more Insight’ presentations, I have a selection of others on various riding issues. Available weekday evenings and at any time weekends, delivered via ZOOM or in person. Drop me a line to sort something out.
ELEVENSES ANCHOR PODCAST - the Elevenses webcasts that go out live (almost always) on Wednesdays and Sundays are now available as an audio-only podcast - check them out HERE on Anchor.
LAST WEEK’S ROUND-UP
Mythbusting Monday May 30 2022 Electric bikes can't go far
They’re not for everyone and charging infrastructure is still a problem but the latest Energica Experia shows that long journeys are becoming a possibility.
READ NOW…
Elevenses 241 Sun 29 May
in today's show... wheelies and stoppies banned in Austria... Ace Cafe Margate Meltdown run cancelled... EV charging costs up 21% at public fast chargers... microchip shortages fuel global delays on new bike deliveries... launch edition of the Livewire Del Mar S2 sells out in 18 minutes... the Energica Experia - Europe’s first zero emission green tourer... today's discussion point - does the concept of 'traffic evaporation' hold water?
WATCH NOW…
(Ten Years of) SoS May 28 2022 Don't struggle - get help!
Why struggling on and toughing it out isn’t the answer when you’re having difficulties - get proper help from a suitable rider coach.
READ MORE…
FoF May 27 Speed, braking distance and overtaking
Speed, braking distance and overtaking One of my least-favourite lines is "overtake as quickly as possible". If you hear it, it simply proves the person repeating it hasn't thought about the implications.
READ MORE…
ToT May 24 2022 Extending skills post-test Pt 6 - Overtaking
Overtaking In terms of crash per manoeuvre, it's doubtful if anything tops overtaking in terms of risk.
READ MORE…
Myth-busting Monday May 20 2022 Sweeping lines give more options Pt 2
Do we actually have more options if we use open, flowing lines through corners? The answer is no.
READ MORE…
And from the 60 Second Safety series on YouTube…
That’s it for today. Each issue is usually out Mondays but other commitments may mean a change of date. I’d welcome your feedback, as always.
Kevin Williams / Survival Skills
www.survivalskills.co.uk