Ollie has been a keen rider since he was six years old and his Dad introduced him and his brother to off-road racing one Christmas. He said: “I raced and did enduro until I was about 21/22 and I’ve always wanted to do my road bike licence but it was more practical to wait until I could do the full one rather than the A1/A2.”
With all that previous experience on a bike Ollie didn’t find the course too hard, and some things like slow control were relatively easy. But a few things took some getting used to. He explained: “The worry was not fully having the confidence in the bike as it was a 650 whereas the most I’d ridden was 350 or 450. Especially at high speed – I was worried about grabbing the front brake and binning it.”
During his training Ollie got some real experience which is pretty common to anyone out there on two wheels – potholes! He said: “That has to be the most nerve wracking part of my training!”
Having been taught by Adrian of Aylesbury Motorcycle Training, in Weston Turville, on a Z650, he’s full of praise for him and said: “Adrian is really supportive. He’s very good at sitting you down and showing you what to do, talking you through what you need to do to get it right.”
He’s now quite excited about getting his first set of road wheels. Ideally he says he likes the looks of several such as an MT07, or perhaps a Triumph Tiger. But it will be a case of wait and see. Either way he’s keen to get home to Gloucester on a motorbike, where he can then go out for rides with his Dad, who’s still on two wheels.
Congratulations Ollie from all the team at White Dalton.
