#Ride5000miles member says group made him a better biker

Anyone who’s a member of the #ride5000miles Facebook group will know it’s a vibrant online community, full of handy advice from riders all over the world.

It’s also packed with inspiring tales that make you want to grab your bike keys, head out and explore. This is exactly what happened to Richard Fleming who, since joining the group, has sold his car, tripled his annual bike mileage and is now making plans for a bumper 2021.

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“I think it was just reading about other people’s trips out, where they’ve been, their tours and what they’ve done on their weekends,” the Walsall rider told MCN. “When you see what other people have been doing, you think ‘that sounds good, I’d like to try that’.”

Although Richard had been riding for 21 years before joining the group, the engineer says he used cover around 2000-2500 miles a year by bike, with weekend rides limited to a maximum of three hours.

Since he became a member in mid-2018, this has climbed to 7000 miles. He now commutes to work in all weathers on two wheels, and takes longer leisure trips whenever possible.

“I’m going further afield and going out a lot more on my own. I’m more than happy to just get out for the whole day and enjoy watching some British Superbikes,” he continued. “It doesn’t matter if it’s Knockhill, or Donington – I’m just happy to go there on the bike!

“Now my riding is a bit of everything, including days out with my wife, Raelee, who comes out on the back. My riding has just gone up massively each year since I joined R5K.”

With his mileage and bike time increasing exponentially, Richard would like to step it up further in 2021, adding: “If Covid allows it, more mini tours would be good. I’d definitely also like to get to at least half of the BSB rounds and visit tracks I haven’t been to.”

Offering a final note to others about joining, he said: “With #ride5000miles, there’s so much information there that if you’ve got a query, there’s always someone with an answer. It just helps you get out there and get motivated.”

So what are you waiting for? Sign-up today and become part of the rapidly growing number of bikers getting more from their bike life as a result of the group.

Find our recap of the biggest news stories of 2020 here: