Arriving at Lincoln's annual International Bomber Command ride out to honour the aircrew lives lost in WW2
This page has been added by me, the webmaster Gary Jackson, since I pay for the upkeep of the website!
I am a member of Thames Vale Advanced Motorcyclists (TVAM) and I am an IAM Roadsmart National Observer - Accreditied by the IMI
“Observer” is the term used by IAM Roadsmart to identify “instructors”.
As TVAM now has close to 1200 members it is sub-divided into several local teams to ease admin and make it easier for members to socialise with other members near them.
Anyonone in TVAM who volunteers to do anything, such as being an observer or organising events, is a volunteer, receiving no monetary rewards regardless of duties, including expenses.
So when you join TVAM and are allocated your own “observer” you know they are doing it purely for the pleasure of seeing you improve and become safer.
I have put this page in this local village website as I am the leader of the local team known as GNATs, (Great Northern Area Team) which covers the TVAM area north of the M40 out to to the A34 at Oxford, or thereabouts.
There are several members of this club here in St Giles, plus other neighbouring towns,some who are already at the advanced level and some working towards taking the advanced test.
If you fancy finding out just what advanced riding is all about and how it can vastly improve your riding skills and ability to read the road, then get in touch with me gazandwiz@gmail.com and I can arrange for a free intial assessment of your riding and suggest how to continue to improve. TVAM website has a lot more detail than here and it's well worth a look. If you join us there will be an intial joining fee to TVAM, the IAM plus the test fee. You'll be allocated a personal Observer who will coach you to the advanced standard. There are no other charges for observed rides, except maybe buy your Observer tea and a bun at the end of each ride.
GNATs have a good social calendar which really gets going in the spring when we start our Wednesday night ride-outs. First Sunday of the month is our day for longer rides. In the winter months we also have monthly get-togethers in a pub somewhere local to whoever organises it. Different pub each month.
Activities of TVAM as a whole include optional additional specialised courses such as; “Skills Days” on a track, “Look Lean & Roll” teaching you the art of counter-steering, slow riding and manoeuvring, advanced braking (carried out on a runway at RAF Odiham, pillion riding, group riding skils, bike maintenance, first aid & biker down, amongst others.
Also TVAM is very active with organised group social rides for a full day, a weekend or even longer, up to a couple of weeks. The weekends and longer rides are often in Wales, probably our favourite biking roads in the UK. Also trips abroad are another option.