Motorcycling: The importance of training , practicing emergency techniques and a good measure of paranoia, was brought home to me last night on my way home. An unplanned lane change left me with a split second choice between half an emergency stop and a "T bone" with a Volkswagon or an emergency swerve into oncoming traffic. Thankfully I've done loads of advanced rider and track based training so managed to snap out of target fixation mode and string together a couple of "quick turns" to get me the hell outta Dodge. I followed this up with another quick turn of the head to deliver a Paddington Bear hard stare. The driver just didn't see me in spite of headlights and a police style dayglo jacket. This comes in the same week as a colleague was blown off his bike in high winds and the lady in the petrol station was forced off the road on her scooter.

Get some training and practice the techniques !

Links Just trying out a link to someone else's weblog, this one's a techies paradise run by my ex-colleague and drinking buddy Simon Brunning .

Motorcycling - A good day to start blogging, let's start with motorcycling. There seems to be a short break in the grim British weather, my ride to work today was 50 miles of (mostly) dry twisty country roads with good visibility, plenty of overtaking opportunities and a 2001 Honda Fireblade, YEEHAH!. Arrived at work smiling for the first time in ages.