Hi!
I first drafted this email way back at the start of summer 2025. I've read it and re-read it many times, trying to figure out when the right time to send it would be.
As we find ourselves deep in new year resolutions and plans, it feels like today is the right time.
Adventure is many things, including the balance of thrill and risk.
No one wants to get hurt riding adventure bikes, but it can, and it does happen.
We make safety gear that is designed to help prevent and reduce injury, but at the end of the day, we are all human. Sometimes we bounce and get back up. Sometimes we don't.
For example...
Hit by a van
I came around a corner and found a motorcyclist lying on the floor unconscious.
He’d been hit by a van.
His leg was facing the wrong way.
Blood was spurting all over the place.
The driver of the van was flapping around in a panic.
And I had to take control of the situation.
Pause.
The injured motorcyclist was not real.
It was a dummy.
Not real, but it still grabs your attention.
The Overland Guide Association
The van driver was acting.
It was actually John-Paul, the first aid instructor who had set up the training scenario to help us put our newly acquired first aid skills to the test.
I’ve been adventure and trail riding for over a decade, and to my shame, I’ve never undertaken any formal first aid training that would actually come in handy in the event of a motorcycle accident.
So when J-P suggested I take part in one of his OGA first aid courses I decided that now was the time.
OGA stands for the Overland Guide Association. J-P heads it up along with Kelvyn Skee, and is in the process of establishing a recognised training scheme for riders who are either operating as guides, taking groups out onto the trails, or for riders who are heading out into remote locations and want the skills and knowledge to deal with accidents when far from help.
If you've been out on a trip with a UK tour operator, the chances are your guide was OGA trained. And if they weren't then they could do well to get on this course!
No splint no problem. But do you have an Israeli bandage in your kit?
My first aid kit
This email’s not long enough to tell you about everything I learned on the OGA course, but I will leave you with this.
I came away realising how lucky I have been to not have faced a significant medical emergency while out riding. And now, if and when it does happen, I’ve got a foundation of knowledge and kit that might just save my mates life.
I also learned how to put this first aid kit together, and more importantly, how to use each item in there properly (in almost-real-world, fake blood, screaming actor scenarios).
- Survival bag.
- Dry bag (to put first aid kit into).
- Combat Application Tourniquet.
- Israeli bandage.
- Vented chest seals.
- Rapid Haemostatic Gauze + gloves.
- Wound dressing + gloves.
- Boo boo kit (plasters, wipes, painkillers).
- Notebook (with notes!).
- Foil blanket.
- Shears.
- Pen.
- Eye drops.
I don't know about you but I'm full of plans for 2026 adventures with friends.
None of those plans involve putting these newly acquired skills to use.
But it's reassuring to know they are there, just in case.
I know it’s not possible for everyone to get on an OGA course, but wherever you are in the world, 2026 might be the right time to set some time aside to invest into your own first aid skills.
Because we never know when the scales might tip too far in the wrong direction.
And if you do want to take your training to the next level, you can get in touch with Kelvyn and J-P at the OGA here.
❤️
Greg Villalobos
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