Check out training day with the Ottawa police motorcycle crew

The rumble of motorcycle engines is a gentle reminder we're at the beginning of the riding season, and right in the middle of motorcycle safety awareness month.

It also happens to be training season for the Ottawa police traffic escort services unit.

The specialized team is responsible for the safe passage of VIPs, including world leaders and heads of state, by shutting down busy roads and making sure 'the package' gets in and out of the city in one piece.

But before they can navigate motorcades through traffic, they'll have to prove their skills on a track to make sure those tasked with protection don't become liabilities on the road.

Officers have to prove they've mastered fast- and low-speed manoeuvres by swerving the heavy bikes around pylons spaced slightly wider than a metre apart.

'Got to make sure you're good to go'

"Some of those turns people can't make on a bicycle, right, and we're asking you to do those tight turns on a 950-pound motorcycle," said Const. Jon Hall, the lead instructor.

"It's just cones here, but on the road that can be a pedestrian, a kid, it could be anything, so you could be a danger to yourself as well as a danger to others ... so we've got to make sure you're good to go."

Officers escorting heads of state and other VIPs have to learn to ride fast, hop over curbs and come to complete stops as they leap-frog through town, clearing roadways, highways and ramps to keep 'the package' safe.

"You're dipping the bike down further, you're pushing the envelope a lot harder. I've got a lot of ripped pairs of pants and some bloody knees lots of times," said Sgt. Mark Gatien, one of four sergeants in charge of the traffic services division. 

Changing game plans

"There is always that point of no return where if the clutch, throttle brake aren't in the right order, you're going to fall over ... and that's a heavy bike," Gatien said. 

The team leaders also have to be experts at knowing the city and its traffic patterns.

"If I was to hang a left instead of a right, chances are they might follow me and that's something that plays in your mind that you never want to happen, you taking the wrong route sort of thing," Gatien said.

"It is a lot of responsibility but when all is said and done you say, 'That was awesome!'" 

Some officers recall the quick game-plan they had to draw up when former U.S. president Barack Obama wanted to try a beavertail in the ByWard Market. Clearing a secure entrance and exit was a logistical nightmare, but in the end, the president got his dessert.

Spring re-certification 

Officers who want to join the motorcycle escort unit start out with a three-week training course.

After that, they'll have to rack up a full year of experience doing traffic enforcement on the road before graduating to a level two course.

At the second level, they'll have to improve their skills during a week of 10-hour days before reaching the level three, head-of-state qualification. It's an elite-level unit where one in every four applications will not make the cut.

The CBC's Omar Dabaghi-Pacheco got exclusive access to a training day at a secure RCMP facility in Ottawa. Here's a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to escort a head of state.