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

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Landsurfer

Veteran
Yes, but even BC acknowledge that there are ongoing risks of cycling in groups of 6:
Which is the higher risk;
C-19 or cycling on the roads ?
C-19 risk ... death, illness, a sniffle, no effect.
Cycling ... Death by ; HGV's, white vans, potholes, Chelsea tractors. Injury by the same. Positive health effect.
We are back to the Life is Risky reality ......
And i ride a motorbike as well ...:rolleyes:
 
D

Deleted member 26715

Guest
And i ride a motorbike as well ...:rolleyes:
Shame on you
 
OP
OP
Racing roadkill
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!
I guess you’ve never been on a B.C. guided ride then. If it’s done properly ( and admittedly some aren’t ) the leaders will work as a team to keep the group moving, and no one will be waiting at junctions, and so on and so forth. If the leaders are really good, the ride will get round the route, and only have stopped to allow re grouping if anyone has dropped off ( probably on an upward bit of the route, when some people get off and walk, and it’s not practical to slow the entire group down that much ) or needs a rest, or at the planned stop points. If anyone does start to drop off, on the bulk of a route, they should get the groups pace backed off, so that it’s riding at the pace of the slowest rider(s). There are also signals used ( if it’s a multi leader ride ) that indicate to one of the leaders from the pack, when to sprint ahead to an up coming junction and try and ensure that the group can pass through without having to stop. That leader then waits for every one to pass through, and joins the back, and gets a ‘dynamic rest’ whilst the previous ‘rear gunner’ moves to the middle / front ( depending on how many leaders / group size ) and becomes the next ‘junction sprinter’. Then the middle and rear leaders swap roles sequentially, whilst the leader who’s route it is, or has been designated ‘mother goose’ remains at the front. If there are only 2 leaders, then the front leader and rear leader take turns in being signaller and junction sprinter, and if it’s a solo ride leader, they have to do everything themselves, sitting at the back for the most part, sprinting ahead and getting the junctions dealt with, then sitting at the back again, unless there’s anything potentially tricky on the route that requires them to be leading at the front of the pack. All the routes should be reccy’d, and risk assessed, and assigned a difficulty / suitability rating, according to B.C. criteria. These are the key difference between what we do, and what the majority of ‘club rides’ do. We are properly trained and experienced, I’ve personally yet to find a ‘club’ that does it ‘properly’ indeed from having experienced a few ‘clubs’ rides, I see what would put people off.
 
D

Deleted member 26715

Guest
I guess you’ve never been on a B.C. guided ride then. If it’s done properly ( and admittedly some aren’t ) the leaders will work as a team to keep the group moving, and no one will be waiting at junctions, and so on and so forth. If the leaders are really good, the ride will get round the route, and only have stopped to allow re grouping if anyone has dropped off ( probably on an upward bit of the route, when some people get off and walk, and it’s not practical to slow the entire group down that much ) or needs a rest, or at the planned stop points. If anyone does start to drop off, on the bulk of a route, they should get the groups pace backed off, so that it’s riding at the pace of the slowest rider(s). There are also signals used ( if it’s a multi leader ride ) that indicate to one of the leaders from the pack, when to sprint ahead to an up coming junction and try and ensure that the group can pass through without having to stop. That leader then waits for every one to pass through, and joins the back, and gets a ‘dynamic rest’ whilst the previous ‘rear gunner’ moves to the middle / front ( depending on how many leaders / group size ) and becomes the next ‘junction sprinter’. Then the middle and rear leaders swap roles sequentially, whilst the leader who’s route it is, or has been designated ‘mother goose’ remains at the front. If there are only 2 leaders, then the front leader and rear leader take turns in being signaller and junction sprinter, and if it’s a solo ride leader, they have to do everything themselves, sitting at the back for the most part, sprinting ahead and getting the junctions dealt with, then sitting at the back again, unless there’s anything potentially tricky on the route that requires them to be leading at the front of the pack. All the routes should be reccy’d, and risk assessed, and assigned a difficulty / suitability rating, according to B.C. criteria. These are the key difference between what we do, and what the majority of ‘club rides’ do. We are properly trained and experienced, I’ve personally yet to find a ‘club’ that does it ‘properly’ indeed from having experienced a few ‘clubs’ rides, I see what would put people off.
THAT^^^^^ does not sound like a social ride
 

Drago

Legendary Member
Well that should say something about you and not them then really. If you think they are all wrong, chances are it’s actually you that’s got it wrong.
Is that the best you can do? Their ride leaders, and CUK's, are derided in the professional cycling and training community (not the professional sporting community, their skills and knowledge are of no relevance to riding in public). Some years back ACPO looked at using BC for training, and very, very quickly dropped the plan after looking at it. Having ridden with them and seen what their laughingly call their training, their poor discipline, lack of adherence to their own safety drills, internal political interfence in both development of the syllabus and delivery, and questionable roadcraft, neither I or most other professional trainers will ride in groups with them because they're considered too much of a liability. With the greatest of respect, I've seen some of your videos, and that hardly does them any credit. the implausible leader-rider ratio alone is enough to put professional trainers off of coming out to play with them.

Mini D has Bikeability at school in the next school year, virus permitting. That is to say, she won't be doing Bikeability - she'll be taught properly.

A question, a chance for you to show us how brilliant BC (or CUK, if any of their ride leaders are reading this) are. Having safely stopped and dismounted, what is the first thing you should do? Well, several things, but I'll be surprised and deliriously happy if you get any one of them.
 
OP
OP
Racing roadkill
I see it as negligent risk taking, irresponsibility and giving possibly naive and inexperienced riders a dangerous false sense of security
:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

by leading them to believe they are in the care of a competent, expert, trained ride guide!
They are.
There is no way a single guide/leader can safely manage a random group of untrained cyclists of more than 3 or possibly 4 at a maximum, no matter how good they think they are.
Thats right, hence the rigid ‘leader to rider quotient’ on a ‘guided rideit’s 1 leader to 8 riders ( it used to be 1 to 10).
To undertake such a challenge is madness and to be faced with such a situation (either through oversubscription or due to guides/leaders failing to show up) and still go ahead with the ride demonstrates poor risk assessment, decision making and weakness.
Which is why it’s leaders prerogative when the numbers / splits are known, whether it’s safe to proceed. If it’s not safe, we don’t go. If that means disappointing anyone, so be it. Safety first.

Should the worst happen and said ride leader ended up in court, they would be pretty much defenceless purely for allowing the ride to go ahead.
which is why things are done the way they are. In all of my many years doing this, and many rides / thousands of miles, nothing has happened on any rides lead by me.
A sensible person with any balls would have rightly cancelled the ride unless they could reduce the number of riders to a controllable level or enlisted the help of a fellow guide/leader.
That’s right, and that’s exactly what happens.
 

fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
I still don't get the Leader thing ..... why do you need a Leader .... :laugh:

If it's organised, you need the benefit of 'insurance' - it's litigation. A mate of mine runs MTB ride socials, so he's strictly not a leader, but two of the lads on the rides are accredited MTB leaders, one is a coach. If it was just 'mates' then you don't need the backing of BC, but if you are advertising a ride, and random folk turn up then you are going to need the BC cover. There is usually a disclaimer that is completed if people haven't officially registered with BC.

We have had people turn up on unsuitable bikes when it says 'MTB only' - some folk think their hybrid is a MTB. And the other issue is skill level, people don't think. we had 3 folk turn up on e-MTB's but they'd never really gone off road - canal paths were it. That was frustrating as they couldn't handle any descents nor keep up with us 'analogue' riders going up hill (PS we did wait). Folk just don't read the bit where it says 'challenging ride, good quality MTB only', experienced rider.

We've also had a few broken bones - fairly minor, ankle fracture on someone out of their skill level and an experienced MTB'er splitting her kneecap - she completed the ride and only realised next day when her knee was like a balloon.
 
OP
OP
Racing roadkill
THAT^^^^^ does not sound like a social ride
It isn’t (for the leaders) it should feel like a social ride (regardless of conditions) for the participants. If it’s been done properly, the participants won’t notice the technical bits ( except for safety calls ) and have got round a route in a hassle and stress free way they couldn’t under normal circumstances. Admittedly, the skill and experience levels of some leaders can be variable, but if they’re too crap, they wouldn’t be doing it.
 
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Drago

Legendary Member
I've 10 million of cover for leading and training up to 4 riders, 6 with a qualified safety officer as my second. Any more than that is simply uncontrollable. Watching the Bikeability lot with the numbers of children they are expected to manage safely is frightening.
 
OP
OP
Racing roadkill
If it's organised, you need the benefit of 'insurance' - it's litigation. A mate of mine runs MTB ride socials, so he's strictly not a leader, but two of the lads on the rides are accredited MTB leaders, one is a coach. If it was just 'mates' then you don't need the backing of BC, but if you are advertising a ride, and random folk turn up then you are going to need the BC cover. There is usually a disclaimer that is completed if people haven't officially registered with BC.

We have had people turn up on unsuitable bikes when it says 'MTB only' - some folk think their hybrid is a MTB. And the other issue is skill level, people don't think. we had 3 folk turn up on e-MTB's but they'd never really gone off road - canal paths were it. That was frustrating as they couldn't handle any descents nor keep up with us 'analogue' riders going up hill (PS we did wait). Folk just don't read the bit where it says 'challenging ride, good quality MTB only', experienced rider.

We've also had a few broken bones - fairly minor, ankle fracture on someone out of their skill level and an experienced MTB'er splitting her kneecap - she completed the ride and only realised next day when her knee was like a balloon.
That’s a fair assessment of what happens, and why good leadership skills are required, to get a successful ride completed.
 
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OP
OP
Racing roadkill
I've 10 million of cover for leading and training up to 4 riders, 6 with a qualified safety officer as my second. Any more than that is simply uncontrollable. Watching the Bikeability lot with the numbers of children they are expected to manage safely is frightening.
If the leaders / course creators have done their job properly, it’s not uncontrollable with a 1 to 8 ratio. It can be a challenge, and that’s where skill and experience come in. If it starts to look like it’s getting too risky, everyone stops, words of encouragement and guidance are given, then it continues, and foreshortened if needs be.
 

Brandane

Legendary Member
Location
Costa Clyde
I guess you’ve never been on a B.C. guided ride then. If it’s done properly ( and admittedly some aren’t ) the leaders will work as a team to keep the group moving, and no one will be waiting at junctions, and so on and so forth. If the leaders are really good, the ride will get round the route, and only have stopped to allow re grouping if anyone has dropped off ( probably on an upward bit of the route, when some people get off and walk, and it’s not practical to slow the entire group down that much ) or needs a rest, or at the planned stop points. If anyone does start to drop off, on the bulk of a route, they should get the groups pace backed off, so that it’s riding at the pace of the slowest rider(s). There are also signals used ( if it’s a multi leader ride ) that indicate to one of the leaders from the pack, when to sprint ahead to an up coming junction and try and ensure that the group can pass through without having to stop. That leader then waits for every one to pass through, and joins the back, and gets a ‘dynamic rest’ whilst the previous ‘rear gunner’ moves to the middle / front ( depending on how many leaders / group size ) and becomes the next ‘junction sprinter’. Then the middle and rear leaders swap roles sequentially, whilst the leader who’s route it is, or has been designated ‘mother goose’ remains at the front. If there are only 2 leaders, then the front leader and rear leader take turns in being signaller and junction sprinter, and if it’s a solo ride leader, they have to do everything themselves, sitting at the back for the most part, sprinting ahead and getting the junctions dealt with, then sitting at the back again, unless there’s anything potentially tricky on the route that requires them to be leading at the front of the pack. All the routes should be reccy’d, and risk assessed, and assigned a difficulty / suitability rating, according to B.C. criteria. These are the key difference between what we do, and what the majority of ‘club rides’ do. We are properly trained and experienced, I’ve personally yet to find a ‘club’ that does it ‘properly’ indeed from having experienced a few ‘clubs’ rides, I see what would put people off.
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....
 

dodgy

Guest
Blimey, us cyclists know how to take the fun out of a bike ride don't we!?

We used to joke years ago about how clubs are formed, at first it's a few mates who enjoy each other's company. One day, Fred invites Trevor from accounts to come along, all is well. Then Trevor invites Paul from HR, all is well. Then one day someone turns up with a clipboard, before we know it there's a Chairman and secretary and we're now a club and that's when the fun gets sucked out of it.
 
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