Who would have thought we would have to search out some shade in Mid September. Our popular Stage 1 course saw a dozen riders join us in the Autumn Sunshine down in East Sussex. Working through the foundations of off road riding techniques we covered bike handling, body positioning, braking techniques and we tackled ascents and descents. Everyone threw themselves at the exercises enthusiastically and there were smiles all round.

The Goodwood Revival is an annual homage to racing from yesteryear. Hosted at the historic Goodwood Motor Circuit in West Sussex the weekend sees a glorious mix of motorsport, fashion and music. Crowds of up to 100,000 flock to the circuit to immerse themselves in 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s motorsport culture. The Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy sees 1960’s motorcycles race wheel to wheel, with the bikes’ owners along with current and past professional racers put the bikes through their paces.

Early September saw a small group join us on a ladies only day, for a day of off road riding at our East Sussex venue. We were lucky enough to have some sunshine and even had to seek the shade of the trees for a while. With the coaching based on our Stage 1 syllabus, the ladies had to get to grips with body positioning and bike handling techniques, learnt the importance of clutch control, tackled braking exercises, took on a couple of hills and of course some dreaded ruts. As the group were progressing so well, we even threw in some on bike yoga, helping them improve their balance and bike handling. The girls all rose the challenges we posed and came away more confident riders.