Cycling can be really liberating, giving us the ability to get from A to B, or explore our neighbourhoods affordably, in a way that improves our health and wellbeing in a sustainable way. Unfortunately, being able to turn the pedals and stay upright is often only half the task. To become a confident cyclist, you need to be able to navigate London’s streets safely; without that, the bike will stay in the shed.
Haringey Council’s cycle training helps local residents to learn the skills to navigate London roads, whether you’re a novice or a more experienced cyclist who wants to feel more comfortable on London’s busy roads.
A great new addition to this programme is London Cycling Campaign’s Cycle Buddies. This initiative provides an invaluable stepping stone for new or out-of-practice cyclists looking to ride more, by pairing them up with their choice of experienced cyclists.
These buddies help less confident cyclists find and try out routes to their workplace, local shops, parks, gym, places of worship and other local amenities. Among the help buddies can give is ensuring your bike is ready to hit the road, finding a route that suits your skill level and confidence, providing a companion as you try out a new route and helping you find somewhere to secure your bike at your destination.
Need some support out on the streets?
When you create your Cycle Buddies profile, you’ll be asked about the sort of rides you are looking to do, where you live and what you are looking for in a cycling buddy.
You’ll then see a list of cycle buddies either near your work address or your home address. You can switch between addresses. The list of Cycle Buddies and/or cycle instructors will be filtered according to your answers about the kind of help you want. You can also edit these answers in your profile as you become more confident and your goals evolve.
Once you’ve completed your profile you’ll then be able to contact a Cycle Buddy directly through the platform. You can get in touch to discuss your goals and arrange a time and place to meet. Make sure you follow the advice on meeting up safely.
You set the pace with Cycle Buddies. Tell your buddy about your cycling experience and what you want to do. You decide how far and fast you cycle, and whether you’d like to meet for more rides.
Set cycling goals for yourself and tell your buddy what they are. Keep track of your progress and share it with your buddy. After you’ve ridden together, share your story with friends and family and on social media, and let Haringey Cycling Campaign know how it went.
Want to support other cyclists getting out on the streets
Create a profile on LCC’s Cycle Buddies platform and then wait until someone contacts you for help. Then go cycling together, a few times, at their pace, to build their confidence.
Once someone gets in touch, find out what their cycling experience is and what sort of rides they want to do. Follow the advice on the tab below on meeting safely and riding together.
Ask your buddy what their cycling goals are. Listen and give encouragement. Don’t feel you have to explain everything. Help them to work things out for themselves and to track their own progress. There are lots of tips and advice on our website, these can be used to guide your sessions.
You’ll need to find out what they want to do and where they want to go. Some people want to explore quiet streets locally or plan a longer journey for example to work. You may ride to the park or show them local routes – quiet ways, new cycle lanes and off-road paths are popular. They may want to try out junctions or crossing busy roads – think about how to ride those safely.
For a longer ride, like a journey to work, it may be advisable to plan the route in advance, to try it out on your own first and ride it together at a quiet time of day. Sometimes it may take a few rides before you complete the whole route.
After you have ridden with your buddy, we’d like you to keep in touch to find out how they are getting on with cycling – maybe contact them after a month and three months. Let them know about LCC activities and group rides they can get involved with.
