Experiences of Cycle Training

You're right dale. It is a difficult sell and is almost self contradictory in that the whole thrust of marketing cycling per se is that it is a low risk activity that anyone can do. (so why do you need training?) Yet clearly training is beneficial and makes riding even lower risk, more fun and more efficient.

We have always has issue with the images used to show cycling and cycle training, which historically has always shown people dressed like builders rarely near a road:

and CTUK has always used images of people having fun on the road or clear simple messages as an antidote to the hi-viz helmet combo that shrieks danger

I would say CTUK has been a succesful business and has managed to attract 1000s of people over the years who have undergone training. The largest numbers have been beginners or returning cyclists, many more women than men. This is changing at the moment and the that factors that got you training whether through London Cyclist magazine or this forum (where members are more likely to be blokes) demonstrates how things have moved.

Training is all about giving people the confidence that they are allowed to ride in the middle of the lane when they need/want to and not be put off by a drivers beeping which is the audible symbol of our inbalanced unequal road hierachy.

However the vast majority of people will not get trained. But if they see more (trained) people riding efficiently and fast through traffic riding in the middle of the lane then that position and way of riding will be legitimised and become the norm which may mean training will not be as necessary.

Tommy: Point of sale training promotion is a good idea. many bike shops do have leaflets promoting training. Evans now has a cycle training in every store. More could be done here.