to the editorial changes in response to the crisis and the printed version cannot be distributNew Members

New Members

Associate Members: William Chapman

Full Members: George Khatcherian Neil Frost Barry Barnes

Sofia Khatcherian

The editor has viewing access to the membership database and hopes he has not missed too many people this time., or got their names too badly wrong. Sometimes it was not clear (to my old eyes) if a new member joined as a full member. Please accept my apologies if any of the above have the wrong status,

We wish you all heartily welcome to the Group, and hope that you can take full advantage of the wide range of training and social events which we offer, We all aim to be, not just better riders, but happy better riders!

TRAINING TEAM NEWS John Tullett

For the benefit of new members I thought I would provide a little more detail on the wide range of training options that the Group offers, to complement the summary provided by our one page 'Welcome Flyer':

1-to-1 Observed Rides (for Associate members - who have yet to pass an advanced test)1-to -1 rides form the core of Associate training within EAMG, with a dedicated Observer focussing on addressing your personal training needs and aspirations. All EAMG Observers are required to hold a minimum qualification of RoSPA Gold and are subject to EAMG Observer retesting every 2 years, by Senior Observer Assessors who are themselves subject to external retesting every 2 years by Police Class 1 Examiners.

You will be trained to a level where you are able to pass a RoSPA or IAM advanced test. There is no obligation to take a test if you do not wish to but most trainees do, as this provides an opportunity to have your riding independently assessed against a nationally recognised standard. Associates are requested to make a £10 contribution towards Observer expenses on 1-to-1 training rides.

Associate Group Training (AGT)

AGTs provide Associates with the opportunity to attend a short Roadcraft presentation followed by an observed ride. Importantly you will usually be allocated to different Observers, which will give you a chance to ride with someone you may not know on alternative routes. The AGT is held on the Sunday after the Group Night meeting, which is always held on the first Tuesday of the month. Our venue is Longmeads House, 12-14 Redwood Drive, Writtle, Chelmsford, CM1 3LY.

For 2020 a £10.00 charge has been introduced for Associate & Full members wishing to participate in an observed ride at AGTs to help the Group cover the costs of running these training sessions.

For the benefit of any new members the format of the AGT is:

09:30 - A Roadcraft talk for approximately 20 minutes.

then either:

OPTION A: - Associates and Full Members signed up for Further Training for Full Members (FTFM) will be able to participate in an Observed ride. Individuals should arrive by 09:15 at the latest, to get signed in before the Roadcraft talk commences. Please also ensure that your bike has a full tank of fuel.

If you are considering joining EAMG for additional training you are welcome to attend as a Guest, at no charge, to check us out. You will be asked to sign a disclaimer to confirm that you have a valid driving license and relevant insurance. If you have any questions you would like answered beforehand please e-mail me via: training@eamg.org.uk

OPTION B: - Full members will also have the option of attending a social ride.

You will be able to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee at Longmeads House if you wish, for a modest fee of £1.

Unfortunately, our February AGT ended up being cancelled due to the adverse weather conditions arising from Storm Ciara. March proved considerably more successful with Mick Hewitt providing a talk covering the subject of Cornering prior to 7 Associates and 1 Full member signed up for FTFM participating in observed rides.

Associates are welcome to attend as many AGTs as they wish, regardless of whether or not they are also allocated to a 1-to-1 Observer.

AGT enthusiasts will be pleased to hear that the Training Team recently approved Richard Parker's proposal to reintroduce a January AGT with effect from 2021, thereby increasing the number of AGTs from 11 to 12 a year.

Flexible Observed Rides

Flexible Observed Rides provide Associates wishing to expedite their 1-to-1 training with an opportunity to arrange additional observed rides with an Observer who has spare capacity. Flexible Observed Rides are intended to complement and not replace rides with your 1-to-1 Observer. Without wishing to state the obvious it remains important to complete sufficient practise miles between Flexible Observed Rides to avoid 'similar' riding issues being highlighted from ride to ride.

If you are interested in Flexible Observed Rides please let Observer Coordinator Eddy Brazier know when you are available (e.g. weekends, weekdays or anytime) and he will endeavour to match you with a suitable Observer. Associates participating in Flexible Observed Rides will be requested to make the standard £10 contribution towards Observer expenses for each ride.

Further Training for Full Members (FTFM)

Full members will have already passed an advanced test and FTFM provides these individuals with an opportunity to attend training with a personal 1-to-1 Observer, in a similar fashion to

that provided to Associates. We request Full members to make a £10 contribution for each ride to help offset observer expenses.

The majority of Full members sign up for FTFM to help prepare to take a RoSPA retest or an additional advanced test but the training can also be tailored to address specific issues or to further develop your riding skills. For example, if you wish to be assessed to become a Trainee Observer.

FTFM is designed to be flexible and you can sign up when completing your annual membership form or pay your additional £20 (on top of the standard £25 Full member fee) at any time during the year, whenever it is most convenient for you.

If there is sufficient Observer capacity at AGTs Full members signed up for FTFM will be able to attend an observed ride, but priority will be given to Associate members (as Full members also have the option of attending a social ride at the AGT).

Full Member Training (FMT)

John Tipper has been successfully running FMT days for many years and these offer a great opportunity to allow Full members to identify and address any bad habits whilst developing their riding skills. By the time you are reading this the first FMT of 2020 is likely to have already taken place but details of the three remaining dates can be found elsewhere in this issue of TUG.

You will be typically be riding with one other Full member over a predefined route of around 200 miles. This will give you an opportunity to ride on some unfamiliar roads and periodically 'take a break' while the second rider is being observed. You will be debriefed during the ride and given a comprehensive ride report. Several refreshment stops are incorporated into each route. The cost to attend a FMT day is £45.

Great care is taken to ensure that each 'pair' of riders is matched in terms of their experience levels, ability and aspirations. Many Full members have attended FMTs prior to taking a RoSPA test or re-test; to check their riding skills; or to prepare for Observer training.

Associate Member Training (AMT)

For 2020 John Tipper has reintroduced AMT days, which will be run in parallel with and adopt a similar format to FMTs - but for Associate members. AMTs will typically cover 100- 120 miles and are being targeted at Associates who may be approaching test standard; have been recommended to apply by their 1-to-1 Observers; or individuals who are comfortable with riding greater distances than covered on a typical Observed ride. The cost to attend a AMT day is £35.

Slow Riding Days

We run slow riding days for the benefit of all members twice a year and charge a modest entry fee of £5 to cover the provision of biscuits & water and help offset our expenses.

We always endeavour to offer as wide a range of activities as possible, including emergency braking; manoeuvring exercises (straight & offset slaloms, peripheral vision, swerve, etc.); the correct way to pick up your bike; and the slowest rider race - to win the much coveted 'snail' t-shirt. We will also provide 1-to-1 assistance to address specific issues as required.

Our next Slow Riding Day will be held at the Ford Dunton Test Track on Sunday, 14th June. If you wish to attend please let me know beforehand, to help ensure we have sufficient numbers of Observers (and biscuits) available.

STOP PRESS: Coronavirus

Since writing the rest of this column the current pandemic has moved on significantly and has already begun to impact upon EAMG's training activities.

John Tipper has been forced to defer the Full Member Training/ Associate Member Training day scheduled for 29th March, due to ever increasing restrictions being placed on the opening of venues (including garden centres & cafes) used for refreshment stops.

Andy Hems has also been advised that all meetings at Longmeads House have been stopped until further notice. With this position not due to be reviewed until the end of April this will effectively force us to cancel the 12th April AGT.

Please keep an eye on EAMG's Forum and our Facebook page to ensure you keep up to date with further developments before committing to attend a scheduled Group event.

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Should any members have any training related queries then please contact me via e-mail to training@eamg.org.uk , or on 07570 992801 or speak to the most relevant member of the Training Team.

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UK Female Bikers Essex Hub, Coffee Cake and Chat Jill Winn

On Saturday 7 th

March I joined up with the Essex Hub of the Female Riders UK National Ride Out, for coffee, cake and chat. The day started with me meeting up with Denise who was organising the Essex hub and 10 other ladies on bikes at South Woodham Ferrers. Denise led us to the meet at Cannon Motorcycles where we were joined by another 20 ish ladies.

Those of you that know me would not trust me to lead a ride due to my total inability to find my way anywhere further than 5 miles from

home…however I led 25 of the ladies on a 40 mile ride from Cannon’s towards Great Totham up to Abberton Reservoir. Many of the riders had never used the drop off system or ridden in a group before but all arrived safely back with smiles.

There were 39 simultaneous meets throughout the country, many with rideouts. All

shared coffee and cake with raffles and the chance to make new friends.

Mick Hewitt and Andy Parnham from EAMG supported the event, as did the Firebike team.

They are meeting again on the first Saturday of May, July, September and November at Cannon’s. The meet is between 10:00 & 1200 with a short ride out planned from 12:00. All female riders welcome.