Back to Hemel Hempstead

Since the Wales 500 I’ve been busy with the preparation for another of the Rallymoto Clubs “Road Book Capers” our social training events that we try to run every month.

For June we are returning to the KTM Centre in Hemel Hempstead, the scene of the first Caper I organised in November last year. That was a great success despite not all riders being able to complete the route and being very cold! However a lot of lessons were learnt and incorporated into future events.

Unlike the November caper that was a large single loop, I now plan my road book routes in a cloverleaf pattern, with three loops returning back to the start each time. This makes keeping tabs on the riders much easier although does require a bit of thinking over the route planning.

Last Saturday I rode the whole route and had to make only a few changes so all looking good for tomorrow.

One big issue is that it is impossible to get to the KTM Centre without using the Plough Roundabout, or as it’s better known the “Magic Roundabout”. This presents a real challenge to the road book author, not to mention a navigational challenge for the riders! Whilst it is possible to leave the KTM Centre by two different routes that avoid the roundabout, as these use one way streets or turn out onto a dual carriageway with no access from the opposite lane, they can’t be used as a route in. So my problem was to try and make the rider’s passage of the Magic Roundabout as painless as possible, whether I have succeeded remains to be seen.

The KTM Centre are also lending me a KTM 1090 Adventure R demonstrator to ride on Saturday, so it’ll be a good test of the bike.

Watch this space for an update on how the event went.

A new development following the Wales 500 is a spin off from the Rallymoto Club: the “Adventure Cannonball Club” geared towards larger adventure bikes and promoting navigational events on the lines of the Wales 500. This also includes Road Book Caper events for Adventure Bikes.  Burt from Rallymoto has produced a short video to promote the Club.

The first event is in the Cotswolds on the 1st July. Unfortunately I won’t be able to join in the fun as I’ll be attending my Nephew’s wedding on the beach on the Greek Island of Elafonisos… it’s a hard life but someone has to do it!