NOBODY likes being told what to do, nobody likes being criticised.

We'd all like to think we are perfect and bikers are no exception. Find me a motor cyclist who will admit he is actually not very good at riding and I'll find you a hen with teeth.

It just doesn't happen, it goes against the grain and is not part of the macho biker, hardman image.

We are all skilled, we are all burning up the highway, we are all men, well at least until we are wiped out, then we are maimed or dead.

Well, I'm getting on a bit now and fast realising that the road is a very hard place to hit, particularly at speed.

So when Cleveland Police offered to criticise my riding - in the best possible way - I jumped at the chance.

Officers hope others will follow suit when they run the observed rides as part of the Ridewell 2000 fun day, at Preston Park, Stockton, on July 16.

Seventy places are being made available for riders interested in improving their skills, improving their chances of survival and winning a host of prizes.

My instructor is Derrick Walton, a crash investigator by day, which didn't bode too well for me I thought.

The session begins, as it will on the day, with a Highway Code quiz. If you are looking to win prizes I suggest you read up, it's probably a good idea anyway, as I found, because the code has changed four times since I last read it in 1979.

My score of 18 out of 30 was pitiful and I'm ashamed, which isn't a bad thing as the whole exercise is designed to get riders thinking about their practices, good and bad. It is also worth remembering that ignorance is no defence in law.

The 32-mile test route mixes congested highways with dual carriageways, fast A-roads with tortuous back lanes, so the instructor can get a fair idea about your ability.

It's not designed to humiliate, but to help, and to whatever degree needed, push you towards taking further training.

I immediately feel self-conscious which causes me to tense up, the worst thing you can do when you are trying to ride smoothly. That said, I do my best to put into practise whatever road craft I've developed over the past 20 years.

And all told it isn't too bad a debrief back at Cannon Park police depot, in Middlesbrough.

PC Walton says: "I can see you have had some instruction in the past and the ride generally was good. The main area for improvement was your slow speed riding - just before you stop and when you set off."

It's a failing I am aware of and one that reveals my past. When I was a lad there was no training. At 17 I simply bought a 125cc Honda sports twin donned a helmet and went. By the grace of God I survived despite more than one hairy moment.

The test was a joke. My examiner was on foot and I couldn't remember what he looked like or where he was as I rode around the block, most of the time out of sight.

The result was I passed, but was far from proficient, and 20 years on I suffer from the lack of compulsory basic training which, thankfully, is mandatory today.

Otherwise it's a case of polishing techniques I'm already using.

"We are looking to encourage people with constructive criticism and point them in the right direction," said PC Walton. "The rides make you aware of your limitations."

l To book an observed ride on July 16 ring (01642) 301570.