It looks like we’re getting back to normal a bit quicker than I thought.

[Drago]

Brandane is correct. They won't be out with me unless their skills have been assessed, or they are known to me and I already have knowledge of their abilities. The live environment is not the place to discover someone is dangerously lacking. What kind or ride leader simply rolls up to a meeting point in a car park and rides off in public with a group of riders they've never met or assessed?

1 to 8 is uncontrollable. For a start, the human brain has only 7 memory registers, so when monitoring safety critical functions cannot effectively manage more than 7 pieces of datum simultaneously. 4 is the safe and effective limit for one leader/instructor, 6 with a qualified safety officer (who will also be FAST aid and trauma management trained, essentially the same level as an NHS first repsonder)

 

[Brandane]

Clearly you don’t understand, so don’t tire yourself out trying to explain it to me ( a very experienced Accredited ride leader, with many years, and rides under his belt).

Normally this one is reserved for our @Drago , who really IS awesome, obviously ; but for the above post have this......

All those wonderful qualifications, and so much experience - yet you still don't understand just how much THAT video (now deleted, unsurprisingly) of your altercation with the Sainsbury's van completely and utterly destroyed any credibility you might have had. The one about ASL's and you crossing the stop line didn't help much either. How can YOU lead ANY bike ride when you clearly fail to understand the basics of the Highway Code?

 

[I like Skol]

Having safely stopped and dismounted, what is the first thing you should do?

Check your trousers haven't fallen down again?

 

[Drago]

Check your trousers haven't fallen down again?

Damn, you're good!

Normally this one is reserved for our @Drago , who really IS awesome, obviously ; but for the above post have this......

View attachment 530912

I am awesome - I don't charge SAR teams for training and pay my own expenses for working with them. On the rarer occasions these days I do Trumpton, NHS or Dibble I invoice them, on the basis that Boris can afford it.

It's all up in the air until at least October, which is when I've the 3 day course to renew my ticket - It was due in April, but MIAS extended it beause of the virus, but no one is wanting professional level training at the moment anyway (i've not failed a requal since I started in 2008, so I'm pretty confident I'll get another 2 years).

To be honest, I don't really mention it often outside of the circle of associates who are fellow instructors. I only trot it out when amateur BC and CUK ride leaders, who may have done as much as 16 hours of training(!), start believing their own guff.

 

[matticus]

What I can't comprehend is why people need someone to take them on a ride.
Can't they just get on their bike and go and ride for themselves? It's not hard is it?
It really is beyond me!

Some people pay for dancing lessons. That's something I've been doing since before I could solve quadratic equations, mostly unsupervised.

 

[Racing roadkill]

Brandane is correct. They won't be out with me unless their skills have been assessed, or they are known to me and I already have knowledge of their abilities. The live environment is not the place to discover someone is dangerously lacking. What kind or ride leader simply rolls up to a meeting point in a car park and rides off in public with a group of riders they've never met or assessed?

1 to 8 is uncontrollable. For a start, the human brain has only 7 memory registers, so when monitoring safety critical functions cannot effectively manage more than 7 pieces of datum simultaneously. 4 is the safe and effective limit for one leader/instructor, 6 with a qualified safety officer (who will also be FAST aid and trauma management trained, essentially the same level as an NHS first repsonder)

This is why certain controls are put in place. Ride suitability criteria are assigned, the routes are designed and assessed with this in mind, and from experience, usually the right sort of riders turn up to the right sort of ride. People with little or no experience turn up to “easy going” routes, which are generally completely off of main routes / traffic free ( usually short bimbles around parks and the like). “Steady rides” pretty much attract people with a bit more experience, and are usually routed mainly on infrastructure, where exposure to roads / traffic is minimised. “Challenging” rides generally attract more experienced cyclists and include more normal roads / traffic conditions, and are up to 30 miles in length. And “challenge 60” rides are only lead by more highly trained ( level 2 ) leaders, and can be over 60 miles in length and include remote or challenging terrain. Before the ride commences, there are subtle things the leaders can do, to asses any riders there are doubts about, “words of guidance and encouragement“ can be given to said rider(s) and if needs be ( it’s only happened once on a B.C. ride I was involved with) the rider can be encouraged to rethink their participation.

 

[Racing roadkill]

Normally this one is reserved for our @Drago , who really IS awesome, obviously ; but for the above post have this......

View attachment 530912

I get that a lot, you’re welcome.

 

[Racing roadkill]

WTF? Talk about over complicating something as simple as a bike ride! Anyone who rides a bike and goes on one of these "social rides" should be capable of dealing with a junction without someone holding their hand. If marking junctions is really necessary for navigation purposes in the event of a large ride getting strung out, then why not use the motorbike "marker" method whereby you have a ride leader who stays at the front, and a tail end charlie bringing up the rear. At each junction, the person behind the leader stays and "marks" the junction if required by the leader, and waits until tail end charlie comes along. Marker then joins the ride ahead of tail end charlie and can then make there way back towards the front if they so desire. Meantime, next rider behind the leader marks the next junction, and so on....

That’s pretty much what does happen, only it’s a little bit more regimented for insurance / liability reasons.

 

[dodgy]

2 leaders/instructors/whatever poles apart on a thread about leading bike rides, but both with a complete unswerving belief in themselves 🤷‍♂️

 

[Racing roadkill]

2 leaders/instructors/whatever poles apart on a thread about leading bike rides, but both with a complete unswerving belief in themselves 🤷‍♂️

I’ve got the backing / endorsement of the official governing body of sports cycling in the U.K. though ( formerly the British Cycling Federation). That’s good enough for me. If this was a game of top trumps, I’d win.

 

[freiston]

At last you’ve ( sort of ) got it. On a ride social that ride leader is still an accredited leader, and still gets the L, just not an official separate bit. But they are still leading the ride. I was one of the original leaders who were asked to trial the ride social idea, the key difference used to be that we didn’t get paid to do ride socials, and we did get paid to do guided rides. We now don’t get paid to do either, so getting paid or not used to be the only real difference, now there essentially is no difference, if an accredited leader sets up a ride social or guided ride ( other than the restrictions on size of group / leader to participant ratio / risk assessment and route distance / terrain ). Clearly you don’t understand, so don’t tire yourself out trying to explain it to me ( a very experienced Accredited ride leader, with many years, and rides under his belt).

I've emboldened the bit that you have got wrong.

 

[classic33]

I’ve got the backing / endorsement of the official governing body of sports cycling in the U.K. though ( formerly the British Cycling Federation). That’s good enough for me. If this was a game of top trumps, I’d win.

Social riding a sport now?

 

[I like Skol]

I suppose within the pool of available BC trained ride leaders there must be members that will gladly team up and work together on ride management, while conversely there must be individuals that the other leaders fall over themselves to avoid working with? I guess the less popular ride leaders often end up trying to lead rides on their own, resulting in the farcical and frantic shuttling back and forth, trying to lead from the back while controlling the ride from the front () as described above.

 

[Drago]

No? No one?

1. Immediately put your bike between yourself and the traffic, ideally with the drivertrain facing away you.

2. Unfasten your lid. If you're attacked or fall and become entagled in the bike it can choke you, or worse. Only have it fastened while riding.

3. If at all possible, remain at least 3 metres from the edge of the road when pushing the bike. If you trip and fall you'll likely go on top of the bike and have no control about where you're going. 3 metres prevents you ending up in the carriageway. Geography doesn't always make this possible, but as an aspirational safety measure it's worth doing. Do not push a bike along narrow towpaths for the same reason - either ride it, where you'll likely come off cleanly if it goes wrong, or go around.

 

[Racing roadkill]

I've emboldened the bit that you have got wrong.

Half credit, what I should have said is the leader is only really the leader if it’s a ride they’ve planned and posted, another accredited ride leader could join, get the purple L, but not strictly be a leader, because it’s not their ride / route. However I was specifically talking about me leading my ride.