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Sunday 14 April 2013

Battered, bruised but still smiling....

It happened today.

At about 2.30 this afternoon to be more precise. Something clicked and it all started to flow a whole lot better, and I think I may have just become a biker chick.

I have to confess, it really didn't start well at all.

The sun was shining, the rain had gone and there I was about to get on my chosen bike for the afternoon...took it off the stand as I have done so many times, but for some reason I became wobbly...and dropped it on top of me.

The shame...

The guys were all very good, but it hurt...not just my now broken skin but also my pride a little bit. I was feeling confident up to that point, but now I had to brush myself down, get back on the bike and cautiously ride up the road feeling a little dented myself.

"It was a great fall," says M trying to reassure me, "very graceful."
"Really?" I ask, rubbing both tender calves.
"No. Not really." He smiles, "But everyone has to do it at least once."

Consequently, coming up the rear behind the instructor I had lost of bit of the confidence I had gained yesterday. I felt all flustered changing gear, and my hands were shaking making the throttle jerk.

Thankfully, we did a few circuits for the guys in the front to get used to being out on the road, and this gave me some time to compose myself a little bit.

The following two hours were fairly uneventful, until we started on our way back. For some reason, all the things they had been saying to me suddenly became clear and I stopped over thinking it. My gear changes were smoother; I actually started looking in the direction I wanted to go and letting the bike follow and I pulled on the throttle and didn't feel as though I was gonna fall off....I even hit the heady heights of 55mph and would have gone faster quite happily had it not been for the chap I was following.

It was an adrenalin rush like you wouldn't believe. I was truly riding a motorbike, no longer a wobbly, unstable girl on two wheels but someone who knew what they were doing.

Needless to say I didn't want to go back to the school...but alas the voice in my ear piece told me I had to.

I just had to hug my instructor when I got back who told me he could see the difference in my riding...I know I have still a long way to go, but now I have a bike I can practice on....

...and although I ended the day feeling marginally a bit more bruised and battered than I started it...I also ended up with a massive beam on my face. I did it! :-D



2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I bet you did have a smile on your face with your instructor coming up your rear behind.

biker said...

every one falls off the problem is getting out from under it or getting away from it on the road then being able to pick it up again
and yes it hurts but it worth it so keep up the practice and watch out for diesel spills