Competent Biker Test

CBT

It's not a test; it's an assessment.

Yep, the Compulsory Bike Training was certainly no test, but that's not to say it wasn't testing. I just wish I'd received this level of training as a young biker - it might have made the difference between coming late to biking or having continued as a biker.

Paragon Training, Gosport

Thanks to the guys at Paragon I don't feel too bitter about my parting with £120 for a day out. I can think of the day as being one of those experience days, although my first - and last of these, gliding, is far from as pleasant an experience. (The glider pilot was an old prick and crash landed us off the runway just out side of York.)

I'll not diary the whole day, but we went through the usual starter-steps of, "this is a bike", and progressed to some limited time running around the roads. I did okay, but confess to a heart-stopping moment on a right turn off a blind left corner in Rowner, just by the Spitfire pub, I think. oops. The "life-saver" took just enough time to distract me from the short-notice of the on-coming.



We used Kymco 125's. In Dave Baguelly's word, they're almost crash-proof. Certainly they seem to get some abuse (from the instructors during quiet moments) and were very forgiving of any poor gear changes I chucked in for effect. To be honest, I was surprised how easily all the skills returned for making a bike move, turn, and stop, but the emergency stop was a 3-time-try to get right as I am, as I was when younger, still heavy on the old rear foot brake.

As the day passed my gear proved to be pretty cool, except it was one of the hottest Sundays for a while and I was soaked in my own sweat. We all were. Gary's sweaty bollocks were a staple topic for the day. He was my instructor and earns a place with his pic below (borrwed from Paragon's website). That all aside, once on the move with the vents open, the helmet and jacket performed exceptionally well to get some cooler air circulating. The trousers just produced gallons of sweat that trickled into the Gortex Oxtar boots! Nice - and thank goodness I wore my old Arctic socks...



The main outcome, though, (other than sun-burn) was the re-ignition of my motivation to get back on a bike and filter traffic. The smaller, but still influential outcome I felt was the shear terror factor from riding on roads packed with imbecile drivers. Give them their due, though, the young lad on his first bike (without any driving experience, even) might have been killed but for the courtesy of a couple of 4-by-4s outside the school in which we did our practice. I couldn't stop laughing as he stalled, fell sideways, and lost all sense of dignity. There, but by the grace...etc.

So, the CBT out of the way, all I needed to do was pass my Theory Test. 'Piece of piss. More on that next.