BCF Ride leaders , anyone ?

[clid61]

I live near Leeds Liverpool canal , have joined Canal trust recently helping tidy up and maint canal/ towpath. Had an email asking for people to be ride leader on canal, BCF training . Any experience anyone ?

 

[Racing roadkill]

I live near Leeds Liverpool canal , have joined Canal trust recently helping tidy up and maint canal/ towpath. Had an email asking for people to be ride leader on canal, BCF training . Any experience anyone ?

British cycling as it’s known now. Yes, I’ve been a British cycling ride leader for a few years now. Personally speaking, I think they are starting to extract the urine massively now. We used to get paid to do it, not any more. We used to have to commit to 5 led rides a year, now it’s 8, we used to get incentives throughout the year ( bits of free kit etc ) not any more we don’t. And to top it off, they expect you to big the programme up on your own social media channels as well now ( that’s several thousand pounds worth of free advertising by the way ). If I was being approached to do it now, I’d tell them to F.R.O. I’ve got a few months left on my first aid qualification, so I’ll go with it until it expires, but they expect you to renew it out of your own pocket, so screw that. The only ‘benefit’ is free B.C. membership, and some ( wholly inadequate kit ) which isn’t worth the cost of the first aid refresher. Add to that the stress and hassle involved in doing the actual rides ( mouthy superhero types that know better than you) and the issues involved if you do get a pile up on your rides, and it’s really really not worth the hassle. Add in the attempted schoolyard / treehouse politics that you’ll encounter, and it seems even less palatable.

 

[clid61]

British cycling as it’s known now. Yes, I’ve been a British cycling ride leader for a few years now. Personally speaking, I think they are starting to extract the urine massively now. We used to get paid to do it, not any more. We used to have to commit to 5 led rides a year, now it’s 8, we used to get incentives throughout the year ( bits of free kit etc ) not any more we don’t. And to top it off, they expect you to big the programme up on your own social media channels as well now ( that’s several thousand pounds worth of free advertising by the way ). If I was being approached to do it now, I’d tell them to F.R.O. I’ve got a few months left on my first aid qualification, so I’ll go with it until it expires, but they expect you to renew it out of your own pocket, so screw that. The only ‘benefit’ is free B.C. membership, and some ( wholly inadequate kit ) which isn’t worth the cost of the first aid refresher. Add to that the stress and hassle involved in doing the actual rides ( mouthy superhero types that know better than you) and the issues involved if you do get a pile up on your rides, and it’s really really not worth the hassle. Add in the attempted schoolyard / treehouse politics that you’ll encounter, and it seems even less palatable.

Ta fella had a similair thought myself , but not as graphic as yours , ta for for sticking your head up over the trench

 

[Racing roadkill]

Ta fella had a similair thought myself , but not as graphic as yours , ta for for sticking your head up over the trench

Up until this year, the benefits ( marginally) outweighed the drawbacks. They well and truly shifted the balance this year, so I’m oot. It’s fine if you’re a ‘Breeze’ leader ( women only ) but the Guided ride thing is just too much hassle for not enough reward.

 

[Ajax Bay]

mouthy superhero types that know better than you

They will so not think they know more than you once you've politely rebriefed them.