Thursday, November 30, 2006

Learning Curve

I couldn’t wait for my next lesson. I booked an hour with (another) Rob and felt reasonably confident as the CBT had gone so well.
It was a different bike, but still a 125cc and I felt sure it wouldn't be a problem.
I should probably mention at this point I’m not very patient with myself when I get things wrong! I stupidly believed that I should now be in full control of this machine (after 5 hours?!) and when it became clear that I wasn’t, I felt deflated.
It all started when I tried to turn right out of a junction, let the clutch out a bit quick, made the silly mistake of looking at the kerb and lamp post opposite, and started heading towards them! I managed to get round (just about), but it dented my confidence big time and got me thinking (maybe a bit too much).
The stalling,wobbling and general jerkiness. I felt like I was the worst biker ever!
Obviously it’s a completely new skill and it’s going to take time.
But that didn’t stop me getting so completely frustrated and annoyed at myself that I couldn’t wait for the lesson to end. It felt like a very long hour, and it seemed nothing had gone right.
I had a chat with Ros and of course she made complete sense and encouraged me to think about the things I had achieved. Three weeks ago I didn’t know how to start a bike, or select a gear, or even tell you where the clutch was.
I’m just so used to being in control of a car; it seems ridiculous that I can’t feel the same level of control on a bike. The difference is I’ve driven a car for 18 years and ridden a bike for a few hours.
Still, I’m not giving up that easily; I’ve booked two 2 hour lessons for next week. Now I just need to accept that I’m not going to get the hang of this in the next 5 minutes…Dammit!

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