Jelster

Just to underpin something that Mark said, I honestly believe that even a few observed rides with a local IAM group is worth the money. Yes they can be a little "pompous" and they may seem a bit on the cautious side, but my experience is that they can actually ride very well.

I joined an IAM group a few years ago and spent a complete Spring/Summer doing one observed ride per month. I never bothered with the test, I was doing it to learn not get a certificate, but that's just my opinion.

However, I did learn a great deal, from different observers and to this day I don't think I have ever put myself in one of those "Oh *hit" moments unless I was being careless.

Another point is that you can't ride your bike at all from a hospital bed, so calm down a little, practice doing things properly but slower, and then as they become 2nd nature you will find that you're riding faster.

Remember, to ride fast, you first have to be able to do things slowly.

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