Ride marshal training for women and non-binary: How to marshal a mass-cycle ride

This course is an introduction to the role of Ride Marshal on mass cycle rides.

This course is for Women and non-binary participants only and is lead by a female instructor team.

We will explore the skills and techniques of being a ride-marshal on a mass cycle ride. A mass ride can be anywhere from 100 riders up to a thousand or more. You will cover the basic techniques, communication, expectations and common scenarios when assisting on a mass bike ride. Some mass rides are informal – such as critical mass – and some are formal, such as those organised by LCC and the Women’s Network and other organisations. The techniques and scenarios we will practice are applicable to both scenarios.

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 and mass 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)

This course is intended as an introduction for people who would like to get more involved with mass rides with LCC or other groups around London. It is also a refresher course for people who are already helping rides. It is open to women and non-binary riders and is suitable for cyclists who are confident riding on the road.

There are two parts to the course.

Part 1: ‘Classroom’

In this short section, you will discuss how to identify risks, various strategies to mitigate risks, consider a risk assessment and other elements of ride planning and communication.

The classroom in this case will actually be an informal public space.

Part 2: On the road

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

This day will be engaging, fun and empowering.

You need:

• 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 maneuvering obstacles etc
• Be confident or be able to become confident in using maps or online maps to route plan
• Identify as female/non-binary

The instructors will provide tabards for the practical session.

NB: Please arrive on time!