Freewheelers EVS

Who are you? My wife Rachel and I moved from Pembrokeshire to the area just over 10 years ago.  Now living in Paulton, near Midsomer Norton, we have two young children.

How long have you been riding and what bike do you normally ride? I’ve been on two wheels for 10 years now.  When we moved to Bristol, I decided to get a scooter as my job was in the city centre, and this made it only a 10 minute journey as opposed to 45 minutes on the bus.  This provided me with a good foundation to bike riding as you quickly learn to safely filter in traffic with what in essence was a motorised push-bike.  At the time I was always saying that I would never get a “real bike”, but when we moved out of the city, the scooter just didn’t quite cut it.  So I took my test in 2002, and bought a Kawasaki ZR7S.  Don’t knock it; as a first bike it did the job.  It quickly became my ambition to buy a Triumph Sprint ST, having seen one on the back of a bike mag.  I took ownership of all 955cc of the Triumph and have had this since new.

It wasn’t until 2 years ago that I went on one of the Police Ride to Arrive courses.  Very useful, although nerve-racking at the time with a police rider following me around!  I took my advanced IAM in 2009, and continue to develop my riding skills on the Triumph.

What do you do for Freewheelers? I am a volunteer rider on the East (Bath) Bike and join in the fundraising fun wherever possible.  I am proud to say that I am a volunteer for such a service and take every opportunity to promote what we do.

How long have you been with Freewheelers and why did you join? I originally attended a BikeSafe event that is hosted annually by the Police, and it evolved from there.  Once I established that Advanced Riders are not all bearded old codgers I decided to join Cheddar Advanced Motorcyclists and quickly took my advanced test.  Freewheelers was initially “I want to ride one of those” having seen the bikes in the area.  This soon became “I must help out” as I realised what they actually did.  So since August 2009 I have been a volunteer to ride “that very bike” and provide the service that we do to the NHS and its patients.

What do you like most about volunteering for Freewheelers? Apart from the thrill of riding a motorbike it is the respect that drivers give you on the road.  On my own bike you are invisible to many drivers, but the marked “blood” bike stands out and people will help you on your way.  Most of the calls are of an urgent nature, so it’s great to know that I am doing something for someone somewhere and people will help you on your way when they see you.
As a bonus I get to travel down many different roads that I wouldn’t normally travel and its great to make a note of those twisty and challenging roads for a dry summers evening to have a bit of fun.

What do you least like about volunteering for Freewheelers? I hate rain when out on the bike.  This is mostly due to the reduced visibility from inside a helmet in the rain.  It is very important to take extra care on the road and jobs can become tiring very quickly in the wet.  Add to this a bit of wind and severe cold and I have to remind myself of a ride on a nice summers evening to compensate.

Tell us about something memorable about your work for Freewheelers? My first weekend on call was busy having persuaded another rider to give up his slot so that I could complete my first duty.  Over this “initiation” weekend I completed over 17 calls that took me over 600 miles reaching both ends of the patch.  This was a test of my commitment and geography skills.  No particular call is memorable as all calls have a moment of importance.  But it is reassuring to see patients that are very anxious to receive whatever we are asked to carry and know that it has made a difference.

Anything else you want to add? We can be out in virtually any weather and are usually transporting something that can’t wait, so be nice, let us past if you can, and if you see us out and about, give us a wave.