Last Saturday , March 1, I organised a community cycle ride with Jamie Inman. Previously I have helped to marshal a number of rides, but I’d never led one and hadn’t been planning to. However, given I had co-organised the ride, I couldn’t really pass the responsibility on to anyone else, so for the first time I had to lead this relatively short cycle ride from Archway to Parliament Hill Farmers’ Market with around 60 participants.
Thanks to the training by London Cycling Campaign (LCC) people (Laura Shelton and Ben House) I found myself well prepared and supported by a number of experienced marshals (thank you Ben House, Steve Prowse, Eilidh Murray, Louise Inman, Steve Knattress and Maria Kramer).
Every ride requires thorough route planning, testing, risk assessment, registration and insurance with LCC. This time we also had a Dr. Bike (Sam Parkes and John Chamberlain) to ensure participants would all cycle safely with working brakes.
Children love cycling in a group as it provides an opportunity to get some road cycling experience, getting to know your neighbourhood and being with friends. Children are placed at the front of the group to set the pace. On this occasion, they complained that I was going too slow – and asked why we were only cycling halfway up Swains Lane! Children love a challenge and it is important that they have the space to do so.
If you are thinking of starting to cycle this spring, please check out your local authority’s website first, as every London council provides free cycle training. It’s also a good idea to check LCC’s events calendar for local rides across London, to gain experience of cycling on the road in a safely marshalled group.
Looking at the photo of our marshal’s briefing, I see it is now time for me to buy a better-fitting helmet!