I’ve always been more of a car girl myself. Driving (manual, obviously) is the bees knees as far as I’m concerned and an unadulterated love shared by millions around the country. Despite road rage, despite barely being able to drive several yards at a time during rush hour, and despite rising costs of petrol, car maintenance and never being able to park. But what with Ken’s congestion charge and the constant plight of the earnest environmentalists, more and more commuters are now seeking alternative options.

And the most efficient, effective and viable of these options invariably involves cycling, or riding a scooter or a motorbike (unless you’re lucky enough to be able to walk to work). But whereas with some people, being on two wheels comes naturally, for other it doesn’t. At all. And here I shamefully refer to myself – someone who has built a reputation upon being really terrible on bikes, of all kinds.

So it seemed a natural resolution to seek help on the matter – and just when I was wondering who to ask, there landed on my desk a bright pink business card from Girls Angels. Based in Fulham and set up last year, they offer specialist scooter and motorbike rider training specifically for women (even really bad ones). It was surely a sign from above. Post-haste I booked my place on the following Saturday’s CBT course (Compulsory Basic Training: needed to ride a scooter or motorbike if your driving is dated after February 2001 or if you don’t have one at all).

9.15am, Saturday morning, I arrive at a school playground off Munster Road to be greeted by founder of the company Alison Grade. The 32-year-old former television producer (and business graduate) came up with the idea after herself learning to ride a motorbike nearly two years ago and felt there was something missing in the approach/ “I bought my first bike about a year ago and it completely changed my life in London, in that I didn’t need to use the Tube anymore and it gave me this huge sense of freedom and independence. I love everything about it – except for the experiences I was having in the shops and while getting training.

More women should be doing this, but they’re just not being catered for,” says Alison, who clearly refuses to let her small-frame prevent her from riding around on what to me looks like a huge beast of a bike. “My first bike was the Honda CB500 which we also use for the school. At the moment Honda have loaned us a CBR600, a sports bike. It’s the first real experience I’ve had on a sports bike and is fantastic! I love even getting on a bike…” I’ll take her word for it.

Once we’re settled at the centre, we start the day with a briefing from chief instructor, Heidi (pronounced Heydee) Bailey. Tall, slender, gorgeous and blond, dressed head to foot in leather, and looking like she’d give anyone a run for their money, it’s clear that bikes are second nature to her (and they are – before becoming an instructor, Heidi worked as a motorcycle courier for around nine years).

After explaining the basics about protective clothing and the legalities of biking (eg. Helmets are law), the four of us students are given trousers, jackets, gloves, helmets and a rather attractive bright pink Girls Angels waistcoat to finish it all off. “Unlike most biking schools, we insist you wear the proper clothing. Day one is your most vulnerable day and if you don’t respect your bike from day one by wearing the correct clothing, you never will,” says Alison.

Safety and taking the business of motorcycling seriously is top of the agenda at the school. The importance of protection cannot be reiterated enough. “You see girls riding around on their scooters wearing tights and stilettos all the time. They clearly haven’t ever come off their bike, because if they had they’d never do it again,” Heidi warns. Tights, as with many other man-made fabrics, quickly melt into the skin if you fall and skid on the road. Not a pretty thought. Key points to remember when biking are that apart from making yourself visible as possible by wearing bright colours and using bike lights at all times, you should also invest in the correct helmets and clothing (after all, it’s an investment in yourself).

Once the safety talk is over, it’s then time to get to grips with the actual scooter or motorbike. Along with Heidi, another two instructors, Georgina and Steve, take us each through the basics of the vehicles and then the real action begins. Fortunately You’ve been Framed I is not in the area, as scooters start shooting off in all directions (well, mine).

How the instructors keep straight faces I don’t know. But of course, they’re all very professional and all very patient and extremely encouraging. So even when it takes me thirty attempts to complete one figure of eight, they sternly refuse to give up on me. Why it’s taking me so long to master this, I cannot fathom.

Eventually Heidi works out that it’s because my torso is gripped tight with fear and is refusing to let me steer properly. Oh. But my balance and co-ordination are good, she says, which is encouraging. I just have to stop ‘bottling it’, adds Heidi. Courage, courage, courage. Luckily, with the joint advice of four instructors now (having been joined by Justin, a part-time but expert instructor), I finally get it right amid much cheering and huge waves of relief. I praise the heavens above and Fulham’s Girls Angels and prepare to stick with it a while longer. I am hope personified for everyone out there who believes they’ll never learn to master two wheels.

After lunch, we have a 45-minute talk on road theory and then practise some more techniques in the playground until it’s time to hit the streets. We’re each given radios and ear pieces and wired up to our instructors so they can talk to us throughout (but you can’t talk back – fortunately, otherwise, swearing and screaming could be a little off-putting). Heidi tells me to lead (who, me??!) and off I head out onto the road. It’s actually a lot easier on the road – I stop thinking about it all so much and everything falls into place. We even cross Putney Bridge, driving between the lanes of traffic (a little scary) and I’m now beginning to really enjoy this.

Back at the school for 5.15pm, adrenaline pumping, I feel like I’ve discovered a new love and conquered a small country. As my first day of scooter riding comes to an end, I can’t think of a better place to have experienced it. Girls Angels offer an excellent service to women and if I do managed to get my own scooter I know I’ll be back to do one of their many other courses (eg Your Route to Work). On the drive home, stuck in crawling traffic, I look at bikers with a new respect – and envy them all.

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