Tank
10th September 2008, 21:20
You bastards saved me a HUGE off tonight!!!!
I honestly believe that the training / drills BIG DOG and co gave on emergency braking and hitting the gap saved my ass tonight.
So to all the guys and chicks who give their time for the mentor program - Thanks again! It really makes a difference.
So what happened to me this evening?
50km area, ONE WAY single lane road, wet surface, off camber corner going downhill. The corner is completely blind for the entire bend with a very short field of view.
Im heading down there at 50km - no problems. Next thing there is a white van (fucken arseholes going thru the inorganic rubbish) reversing backup the hill (the wrong way on a one way road) - no lights working at all - INCLUDING no reversing lamps drivers side.
He's screaming back up the hill in order to get to someone's rubbish before anyone else comes down the hill and gets it.
There is a car parked on the side - he's going too fast and has to rapidly veer towards the middle of the road in order to miss it - leaving me very, very, very little room.
I hit the picks but lock the rear wheel (new bike to me just moved from rear drum to disk), and start fishtailing. I looked at the rapidly reducing gap between the back of the van and the trees (single lane road nowhere to go).
I wasn't able to stop before the rear of the van (and even if I did he would have hit me because he was still speeding backwards) - somehow I made it thru the gap.
I know it wasn't riding skills that got me thru (I haven't got many) - I can only believe it was the drills and practice of pushing thru the gap and looking where you want to go (not at the hazard).
So tomorrow night - Im back at the carpark practicing emergency braking drills on the new bike.
Oh - and for my fellow Noobs - The mentor program is great - works well - and may just save your ass as well. make use of it !!!
I honestly believe that the training / drills BIG DOG and co gave on emergency braking and hitting the gap saved my ass tonight.
So to all the guys and chicks who give their time for the mentor program - Thanks again! It really makes a difference.
So what happened to me this evening?
50km area, ONE WAY single lane road, wet surface, off camber corner going downhill. The corner is completely blind for the entire bend with a very short field of view.
Im heading down there at 50km - no problems. Next thing there is a white van (fucken arseholes going thru the inorganic rubbish) reversing backup the hill (the wrong way on a one way road) - no lights working at all - INCLUDING no reversing lamps drivers side.
He's screaming back up the hill in order to get to someone's rubbish before anyone else comes down the hill and gets it.
There is a car parked on the side - he's going too fast and has to rapidly veer towards the middle of the road in order to miss it - leaving me very, very, very little room.
I hit the picks but lock the rear wheel (new bike to me just moved from rear drum to disk), and start fishtailing. I looked at the rapidly reducing gap between the back of the van and the trees (single lane road nowhere to go).
I wasn't able to stop before the rear of the van (and even if I did he would have hit me because he was still speeding backwards) - somehow I made it thru the gap.
I know it wasn't riding skills that got me thru (I haven't got many) - I can only believe it was the drills and practice of pushing thru the gap and looking where you want to go (not at the hazard).
So tomorrow night - Im back at the carpark practicing emergency braking drills on the new bike.
Oh - and for my fellow Noobs - The mentor program is great - works well - and may just save your ass as well. make use of it !!!