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Valley Bike School - a little about us

Valley Bike School was set up in 1999 by Stuart Nelson following his retirement from the police. Whilst still training, Stuart has taken more of a "back-seat" role and will be concentrating more on Advanced Courses which will be based in Mid Wales.

 Joe Vaiders 007

Joe has been training since 1999

Like Stuart, Joe is a retired police officer. He is totally committed to safer riding. He is trained to Police "Advanced" standard and is a member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists. Joe has a life-long passion for riding motorbikes and has had a whole array of them over the years - usually BMW's. When not training is usually out riding his R1200GS.

His philosophy - "Growing old is compulsory... Growing up is optional." Like most men, his toys have just got bigger as he grows older.

Other hobbies:  When not riding or training, Joe follows football and when on holiday he can usually be found sea fishing, but, as he does not possess "sea legs", he stays firmly on the shore .

Used Bike_HeavenA few years ago, Joe appeared in a Used Bike Heaven programme where he test road 3 trailie type bikes, inluding the Triumph Tiger that won the day

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Our INSTRUCTORS

  • Instructors MichelleMichelle Vaiders Married to Joe, Michelle has been riding motobikes for over 25 years. She is currently riding the BMW F650GS. Michelle has been instructing since 2004 and has just passed her Direct Access qualification. When not instructing, she runs the VBS Office.
  • Instructors BobBob Kenyon
    A product of Valley Bike School training, Bob has been riding for more than 11 years now and has been an Instructor with us for more than 6 years. He currently rides a Honda CBR 600RR.
  • Instructors MartynMartyn Wright
    Martyn is another with a policing background and is a police advanced motorcyclist. He has a wealth of experience of roads, policing & around police motorcycles. He has a BMW 1600GLS and a Honda Deauville.
  • Instructors Tom_01Tom Collinge
    Another product of Valley Bike School, Tom was identified as a potential Instructor even before he had passed his Motorcycle test. He has been riding and racing off-road for over 20 years and currently rides a Honda Hornet 600.
  • Instructors DaveDave Holmes
    Dave has Policing background and is a member of the IAM and ROSPA. Like many of the others, Dave is a product of VBS. A late comer to biking, he was talked into doing a CBT by Martyn Wright. The rest is history.
  • Instructors IanIan Glover
    Another product of Valley Bike School, Ian has recently retired from the Police. He is the latest of our Direct Access instructors and rides a Yamaha Bulldog.
  • Glen 004Glen Schofield Also has a police background and has ridden bikes since his teenage years. He is a qualified diving instructor and when not riding his bike he is diving for Spanish Gold. Glen has a BMW 1200GS Adventure. He recently became the 7th Direct Access Instructor of V B S
  • Instructors SydSyd Rasheed Syd completed 30 years service with Greater Manchester Police, where he was an Advanced Motorcyclist for 20 years and an accredited off-road Motorcycle Instructor. He has track experience and competed in road racing.
  • olyOly Chalker Oly is yet another product of Valley Bike School training. He passed his Bike test in 2001 and has not looked back. Since then he has had the full range of bikes and currently rides a BMW 1200GS Adventure. He has completed several advanced training courses.

Quite a lot really and it is all good !

Our reputation is second to none. Our former students have said some very kind words about us on The Review Centre. Read more here

Last updated 18 April 2013

Valley Bike School at play

  • 1
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    Tom Collinge,airborne, enjoying his favourite passtime of motorcross riding.
    When not training or riding off-road, he will usually be found watching some form of motor sport from MotoGP to Formula 1.
    He also likes to go to motorcycle rallies with friends in summer which means plenty of good riding, camping and getting rained on. He is currently riding a CRF 250R off road and a Honda Hornet 600cc on road.
  • 2
    alt
    Syd Rasheed, also airborne, during a previous life with the police.
    Syd is passionate about motorcycling and has a genuine desire to improve your riding, be it by means of a general assessment and development of your riding skills, or by addressing any specific problems that you may be experiencing.
    Syd has ridden for most of his life and currently rides an R1
  • 3
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    Bob Kenyon improving his lap times at Cadwell Park on his CBR600RR.
    Bob has many talents. He is a tattooist, time-served plasterer and tiler. He is an avid reader and can be relied upon to deliver useful pieces of advice on a regular basis.
    Bob, is our longest serving instructor who is very well thought of by all students.
  • 4
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    Michelle enjoying the ski slopes of Andorra.
    When not training, or walking her dogs, she is normally reading - especially Sci-Fi.
    Being the only female instructor at Valley Bike School, Michelle has her work cut out to keep the male instructors in check.
    Michelle recently became the 7th Direct Access Instructor at VBS.
  • 5
    alt
    Dave Holmes with his attempts at going "under cover" in Florida.
    Dave has a genuine interest in road safety and enjoys getting people riding bikes safely whilst having a laugh - Welcome to 'Dave's World'. He rides a BMW K1200 GT for comfort although he's heard it does go a bit as well.
    Hobbies: Other than riding, there's only music, listening, playing and, most annoyingly, singing. He is currently teaching himself German.
  • 6
    Jack Lou
    No story of Valley Bike School would be complete with "Our Jack".
    Jack sadly died in 2010. He was our "Mentor" and our "Guru". Valley Bike School, and the World, is a sadder place without him.
    His "common sense" approach to life, accompanied by a huge dose of Northern humour, always meant that you would be smiling in his presence. We miss you buddy.
    • Dave Martyn_Cochem
  • 7
    Ian musician
    Tom Collinge,airborne, enjoying his favourite passtime of motorcross riding.
    When not training or riding off-road, he will usually be found watching some form of motor sport from MotoGP to Formula 1.
    He also likes to go to motorcycle rallies with friends in summer which means plenty of good riding, camping and getting rained on. He is currently riding a CRF 250R off road and a Honda Hornet 600cc on road.
  • 8
    Dave Martyn_Cochem
    Syd Rasheed, also airborne, during a previous life with the police.
    Syd is passionate about motorcycling and has a genuine desire to improve your riding, be it by means of a general assessment and development of your riding skills, or by addressing any specific problems that you may be experiencing.
    Syd has ridden for most of his life and currently rides an R1
  • 9
    oly dolphin
    Bob Kenyon improving his lap times at Cadwell Park on his CBR600RR.
    Bob has many talents. He is a tattooist, time-served plasterer and tiler. He is an avid reader and can be relied upon to deliver useful pieces of advice on a regular basis.
    Bob, is our longest serving instructor who is very well thought of by all students.
  • 10
    Bob Kate
    Michelle enjoying the ski slopes of Andorra.
    When not training, or walking her dogs, she is normally reading - especially Sci-Fi.
    Being the only female instructor at Valley Bike School, Michelle has her work cut out to keep the male instructors in check.
  • 11
    Dave the_lifeguard
    Dave Holmes with his attempts at going "under cover" in Florida.
    Dave has a genuine interest in road safety and enjoys getting people riding bikes safely whilst having a laugh - Welcome to 'Dave's World'. He rides a BMW K1200 GT for comfort although he's heard it does go a bit as well.
    Hobbies: Other than riding, there's only music, listening, playing and, most annoyingly, singing. He is currently teaching himself German.
  • 12
    Joe Michelle_touring
    No story about Valley Bike School would be complete without a mention of "our Jack".
    Jack was our mentor, or Guru and is sadly missed. Jack passed away in March 2010. He is greatly missed.