Community ride assistant course

This is a half-day course for cycling enthusiasts and volunteers who are interested in assisting (sometimes called marshalling) community bike rides.

The session will start at the venue below, but it may finish at a different location.

This course is open to anyone who is considering volunteering as a ride leader or ride assistant/marshal with London Cycling Campaign, London Cycling Festival or another community cycling group, and is suitable for cyclists who are confident riding on the road.

There are two parts to the course.

Part 1: ‘Classroom’ (45 mins approx)

You will learn how to identify risks, various strategies to mitigate risks, about risk assessments and other elements of ride planning and leadership.

You will explore the theory behind a ride leader’s role and other roles in a group ride and techniques for keeping groups safe.

Part 2: On the road (120 mins including a break)

You will then apply the learning from part 1 to an on-road scenario, taking it in turns to take on different roles within the group ride.

This session will be engaging, fun and empowering – and on time for kickoff!

You need:

• To bring your own bike (in working order) and lock
• Some snacks
• To take all your belongings with you – once the ‘classroom’ session is finished, the group will leave the classroom and won’t return
• Weather appropriate clothes
• To arrive on time

You should:

• Be confident riding and controlling your bike in challenging traffic conditions
• Be confident riding one-handed and also manoeuvring obstacles etc
• Be confident, or be able to become confident, in using maps or online maps to route plan

The instructors will provide tabards for the practical session.

You get:

• Skills and practice as community ride marshal/assistant
• Meet a community of riders

NB: Please arrive on time!

Further questions: email mike.mcsherry@lcc.org.uk

Background:

Local LCC groups run a number of different types of led-rides such as:

• family rides/community rides aimed at new and returning cyclists, these are mostly in the local neighbourhood and link up green spaces, quiet ways and popular places and activate new cycling infrastructure (typically 6-20 people)
• protest and campaigning rides aimed at drawing attention to a particular campaign or infrastructure need (anywhere from a dozen to 1000 people)
• health and leisure rides mostly for social, leisure and sightseeing, often for more confident cyclists and popular with regular attendees (typically 6-20 people)
• feeder rides which can be quite big and complex and travel in from the local borough to events in the centre of London such as the LCC Women’s Freedom Ride and FreeCycle (typically 20-60 people but can be upwards of 200)