MEET THE COACHES - MARK

As we not only continue to deliver hints and tips on ways to improve your riding, we also bring you the people behind the expert tuition. This month we’re introducing you to Mark Furnival.

Mark is another advanced police motorcyclist, lifelong rider, big mileage tourer and keen green laner.

I started riding at 17 and have never stopped, and have ridden thousands and thousands of miles on a range of bikes.

I joined the police in 1980 and passed my advanced bike test in 1985. Since then, for work and in my personal life, I’ve ridden a broad mix of bikes but I’ve spent a lot of time on sports bikes and adventure bikes.

Currently, I have a BMW S1000RR M Sport and a BMW GS1250 Adventure that I use on the road, plus a 2016 Honda Fireblade I use when coaching on track.

Away from the asphalt a KTM 450 EXC gets me up and down the green lanes near to where I live in the Yorkshire Dales and in the Lake District.

I have coached with Rapid Training since 2018 and get a great sense of satisfaction passing on my skills and helping other riders improve. It’s great when you see someone start to enjoy their riding even more and do so safely.

Away from the coaching I love the freedom that comes from riding motorcycles, and especially love touring abroad. In 2019 I went to Romania, tacking the Stelvio Pass en route, and then the Transfăgărășan highway - cited by Jeremy Clarkson, at least, as the best European road to drive - and the Trans-Alpina: the highest road in Romania.

Both had their challenges; the Transfăgărășan highway was closed halfway up due to snow, in June, and the Trans-Alpina is a mixture of super smooth tarmac and off-road tracks.