My journey to becoming an Advanced Rider

By Michelle Waldren

My journey into advanced riding has not been the easiest or as straightforward as I had imagined. Much like a chosen route to ride your motorcycle, I took the one with as many twists and turns as possible.

After dedicating much of my life to running a business and bringing up my daughter, I decided, as I was approaching 50, to do something just for me. Riding a motorcycle had always been something I wanted to do, but I didn’t imagine it was possible.

I opted for a taster session at my local training school, where I discovered that this would be much harder than I had romanticised. I could hardly balance or steer, and my petite 5-foot frame made it even harder. I fell off twice just going around the car park. It didn’t put me off, and I already felt the obsession, even though I was a terrible learner.

My CBT ensued, and I barely scraped by. I dropped the bike at a junction on my first attempt and dug deeper on my second to finally be allowed on the road. My husband bought me a 125 for my 50th birthday, and off I went, practising at every opportunity I could get. I was obsessed.

My DAS training went very well, and I passed both tests the first time with no minors. But I knew I had to keep learning and do everything I could to keep myself safe, so I joined IAM RoadSmart’s Redditch Advanced Motorcycle Group (RAMG) right away.

I started my advanced training right before lockdown, and it abruptly came to an end. After months and months of endless lockdowns and no riding, I lost my confidence and found riding incredibly difficult again. I even considered giving it up, even after everything I’d been through to get my license. So, I plucked up the courage and went along to a local BikeSafe course, where I regained my drive. Life started to return to normal, and I started my advanced training again.

However, one morning, when I was on my way to an RAMG skills day, a BMW car rear-ended me at a mandatory “STOP” junction and wrote my bike off. In that same month, my youngest brother died very unexpectedly, which broke my heart. It put another halt to my training once again.

That was last year. I recovered and got a new motorcycle. In February of this year, I re-joined my advanced group once again and made a pact with myself to get this done. I worked hard, dedicated myself to what I wanted, and passed my advanced test this July.

My journey has not been easy, and I’ve put immense pressure on myself, but the bumpy ride has been worth it!

Riding a motorcycle has changed my life. It's the best thing I’ve ever done for my mental health, and becoming an Advanced Rider is the best thing I’ve ever done for my knowledge and safety.