Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => Freewheeling => Topic started by: mattc on 30 March, 2012, 11:04:30 am
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BC have done some taster sessions at the local school (ages 12-16 mainly) and it's clear there is interest there (school and parents are keen). The primary schools do training. We need ideas on the next steps to create a bit more 'community' and get kids riding either competitively, or "just for fun" on the roads. (I'm happy to leave the lads riding round the skatepark to it!)
We have some cyclists with time and enthusiasm, but just the one ACAP*-qualified coach. We CANNOT do anything massive at this point. We won't be getting 4 people trained by BC. We are (currently) a club that does Sunday morning rides, thursday time trials and winter spinning. We have the odd teenager riding with us briefly before either going to university or joining a "serious racing" club. Oh, and we have access to a local airfield (if we can work out what to do on it). Most members have 'proper' jobs.
Has anyone been involved with an activity or project that worked? This really is a "throw ideas at the ceiling and see what sticks" type question!
*I'm sure this is what he told me, but Google claims ignorance of the acronym ... :-\
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This is the junior cycling club near me
http://www.kjcc.org.uk/
I've been on a few rides with them and I know several members but I'm not really involved
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We (http://westsuffolkwheelers.co.uk/index.php) do a Saturday morning 'wives and children' ride.
30 miles, ish, 3 hours, leisurely. Rota for leaders. Pace of the slowest (and it really is, pace of the slowest, we've gone at about 10kph to about 25kph depending who turned up). Generally it's parents who are cyclists who run it. More about teaching road skills (in a group-riding sense) than speed.
Some weeks I'd be there on my own, sometimes there'd be a dozen of us.
For competition the go ride leads on to go-race, grass track, 'cross, our own crits and weekly trips to the Welwyn velodrome in season.
It's a big and busy club, though.
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Thanks guys, that's the sort of thing.
I can't find any guidance from CTC on riding with young-uns (except for the 14yo limit on the insurance, which may be for 'unaccompanied' riders).
Oops - I've just re-found their 2003 guide (http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=ctc+childparticipation&source=web&cd=6&ved=0CEcQFjAF&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ctc.org.uk%2Fresources%2FTraining_and_Education%2FChildParticipationPolicyJuly2003Ver1.doc&ei=Bv51T9vTFOf80QXjoKjADQ&usg=AFQjCNFZClZPCfSKKrnfiWJwX6xIKFD26Q&cad=rja). Key passage is probably:
National council has set the minimum age for unaccompanied children as 13 on open age CTC rides and events. There is no lower age limit if accompanied by a responsible adult acting in loco parentis, but a parental consent form is still needed.
Children aged from 13 to 17 may participate unaccompanied if they have parental permission to take part in an open activity and the parent understands there are no special child procedures laid on.
Think I'll try to speak to some actual real people that are currently doing this.
On the "racy" side, I reckon grass-track racing on the school's field looks like a really simple fun activity, where you could vary the format easily for differing abilities (and variety!). Probably a lot less safety issues than anything on hard surfaces.
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Ahh. We have that U17s must be accompanied by a responsible adult. This is either a parent or another adult there who has agreed to be their responsible adult for the ride. Not sure what happens at grass track & go-race as I've never done that. My offspring aren't competitive in that way. I understand it's quite popular.
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It seems that Southend Borough Council organise rides for adults who have undergone cycle training. They start at Southchurch Park at 9 a.m. each Tuesday, it seems.