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‘ Attitude Matters ’, it ’ s how Bret knows that a rider is capable of taking on some of the toughest roads and conditions , an opportunity to witness regions that few do . Bret ’ s motto is about what capabilities lay within not what is on display for all to see . It ’ s an impressive aspect to rider coaching . Bret shares the successes , he laughs with the riders during the failures , never directed at them . And , witnessed firsthand , he never offers advise unless prompted , an opportunity for a rider to discover and learn .
Well over 130,000 YouTube subscribers has seen Bret build a loyal following , his instructional videos regularly see over 100,000 views , an indication to his ability to encourage and train , yet it wasn ’ t always about adventure riding .
“ I am a street rider first and foremost ,” explains Bret highlighting that he became an adventure rider almost by accident .
“ Over the years , in an attempt to improve my road skills , I began riding and teaching on road racing circuits , some were off-road riders ,” he continues . “ Shortly after the 2004 release of Long Way Round ( the
Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman ride that perhaps started the whole subgenre ) the local BMW dealer asked for me to offer a class for the big ( adventure ) bikes through my school .”
Bret admits it was with hesitation that he set up a course and thus began his “ slippery slope into adventure riding ”. Almost twenty years later Bret is still teaching and considered to have the oldest adventure rider training school in the United States .
It ’ s a school that initially started in 1996 , road based , teaching for the state government of Washington before moving onto the military including a number of areas of the Special Operations of the United States Army , this then led to working with motorcycle manufacturers , international events , and local clubs .
The diversity of riders and conditions has led Bret to develop his unique philosophy in ‘ attitude matters ’, and now finds himself studying more about psychology rather than the physics of riding a motorcycle .
“ The biggest challenge for me ,” he explains . “ Is [ not ] seeing the path to success but seeing riders struggle to get there .
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