Be a Better Biker course

Admin · April 1

What is Be a Better Biker (BaBB)?

BaBB is a course run by Buckinghamshire Council for bikers who hold a full bike licence and are looking to improve their riding, have just got back into biking after a period of absence or are looking to do some advanced training.

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BaBB is a taster session for you to hear about and see what next steps are available.

The course I attended was at Chesham Fire Station and was delivered by Bucks Advanced Riders & Drivers (BARDS).

There were 8 of us on the course and we were greeted by some of the coaches from BARDS with tea/coffee and an amazing array of pastries.

After chatting to and meeting the other riders on the course and the coaches, we headed into the conference room and took our seats.

We completed a short questionnaire about why we were attending the course, what we were hoping to get from the day and where we would rank ourselves on cornering, positioning, etc.

One of the coaches, John, introduced himself and the other coaches and what we should expect to gain from the course:

Have fun and keep safe;
Five most common ways to spoil a great day’s riding (surprisingly not finding cake did not feature on the list!)
The ‘system’ of motorcycle control;
Application and planning – safe, quick, smooth
Ride check – out on the road with a coach with feedback on our ride
Summary of the day

The riders then introduced themselves, what bike we were riding and why we were attending the course. It was interesting to hear why we were all there – getting back into biking after a break from riding; having recently been involved in an accident, been commuting for many years and picked up bad habits – basically looking to improve our riding.

Going through the questions above was really interesting and great to be able to interact with others and discuss and hear different views and experiences.

We were then allocated our coach, donned our bike gear and headed out to our bikes. We could expect to be out riding for about an hour and a half/two hours.

My coach was Mike, who is the Chairman of BARDS. Mike asked me some questions about my riding history and if there was anything specific I would like to work on.

Cornering. Cornering has always been my weakest point when riding (this stems from a double 360 degree roll over when competing in off road motorsport leaving me with an over active imagination when cornering!)

Mike followed me for a while, giving me directions by using his indicators, so he could observe my riding. After a while we pulled over, and Mike gave me some pointers.

Mike suggested I follow him and observe his lines when cornering and, as much as possible, to use the same lines as him.

After a while we stopped and had a chat. I felt following Mike’s lines were making cornering flow better and, more importantly, making me realise that cornering could be fun.

Back on the bikes again and we headed back to the fire station for a cuppa and a debrief. The ride back, I felt, was soooo much better and I felt it was a good ride.

Over a cuppa, Mike and I discussed the ride and he gave me feedback.

We all then headed back into the conference room to hear about the next steps that are available to take your riding to the next level.

What struck me most about the course was just how relaxed the atmosphere was. The coaches were happy to answer any questions we had and it was nice to be able to share experiences with other riders.

If you are considering taking the next step in your riding and are unsure what this may mean or you feel it is a daunting prospect, then I can really recommend you sign up to a BaBB course to see what it is all about.

BK

https://www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/news/be-a-better-biker-is-back-for-2025/

https://www.iamroadsmart.com/local-groups/bards/home/1

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