Experiences of Cycle Training

How important cycle training is can be seen by this recent study, for instance. It shows that the majority of the time, cyclist injuries are caused by people falling off their bikes without any motor vehicle involved. This is because people's risk assessment mechanisms didn't work, and the emphasis of cycle training is of course to increase people's ability to accurately assess the risks that they incur.

That paper is guilty of cycling specific fear mongering, cause it doesn't mention the two feet on ice problem that very probably is larger problem than two wheels on ice problem. In Finland two feet plus ice casualties outnumber all traffic casualties many fold.

The key message "Cyclists would be well advised to consider alternative travel options when the weather freezes." is wrong cause the cyclists would risk cracking their dome running to catch that bus. The key message should be that the cyclists get fucking studded tyres. But that's wrong too, cause it gives cycling the dangerous activity stigma, when in reality the pedestrians need the studded boots at least as much.

Some good stuff ^there. I found myself a few months back trying to encourage a guy towards cycle training- from what he said to me, he needed it- but when the words "cycle training" came out of my mouth I knew I'd lost the challenge. His eyes sunk. Egos are way too big to take this, almost like those motorists that speed excessively due to you overtaking them.

Even when you say to kids "cycle training" at least 40% have that look of, "WHAT?!?"

"Advanced road cycling" for me.

I totally agree about the piss poor images used of children in Hi-viz gear. I hate being forced into using it for training as motorists see us like a fock of duck and give us a far easier time than they normally would, giving a false sense of security.

Festus, you and me both, I spend 10 minutes talking to a bloke who's extremely interested in what I have to says about road positioning, looking back at certain junction (and staring at driver's face), the danger of riding too close to the kerbs, etc. and then I dropped the two letters bomb...

"Cycle Training"

He's suddenly not interested and decided that he need to be somewhere, a shame really as I see him almost everyday in my local towns and his riding is appalling, although I did notice him taking the lane a little bits more so here's hoping.

Advanced road cycling sound like a plus to me.

That paper is guilty of cycling specific fear mongering, cause it doesn't mention the two feet on ice problem that very probably is larger problem than two wheels on ice problem.

It should certainly mention that, yes. It's still a useful contribution.

In explaining cycle training to people, I usually start with myself. I first explain how I'm a very experienced rider etc. etc. and then I say 'and then I had cycle training, which was great--no matter how experienced you are, you can still learn', which is all true. People don't tend to react with 'oh, but I'm more experienced than you are' but with 'oh, maybe I'd better have a look'.

"dynamic cycling"
"skilled cycling"
terms I use to describe the aim and outcomes of training.

terms I use to describe the result of undertaking training.

Honestly, Jason, you shouldn't be training people to undertake. shakes head

Too predictable, Oliver...

Too predictable, Oliver...

My stock-in-trade. :)

Like oliver i say that when i trained as an instructor i underwent training which radically changed the way i ride and enhanced my enjoyment of cycling. I go on to explain that a there are some counterinuitive points and illustrate this with a couple of positioning tweaks* which make a huge difference.

*(Positioning for right turns major-minor, and passing traffic queues on the offside)

This is all well and good in one to one converstations but I agree that 'cycle training' sounds as if its for kids and some of suggestions mentioned above may be more aproppriate for mass communication.

"dynamic cycling"
"skilled cycling"
terms I use to describe the result of undertaking training.

"road warrior skill"

Yes, Ed, I think that's very consistently on-message. :)

Honestly, Jason, you shouldn't be training people to undertake. shakes head

I knew as soon as that post dropped someone pedantic would pick me up on it.

"road warrior skill"

I view it as unlearning the special kind of cycling perceived to be needed because of the view of cyclists as dangerous roadway obstructions. It's return to normality. Because cycling is safe, you don't have to do all the special, inconvenient and risky things, just drive in the normal manner.

As for marketing. It's fine if you try to reach the thick skull blokes, but it's a two sided coin. If you represent it as 'advanced', 'special' etc the meek will think it's only for the special, advanced blokes not the normal people wanting to just go from a to b. I think it's more imporatant to get the salt of the earth folks, cause they the ones that are in a risk of getting in an unholy alliance with motorists wanting to get cyclists off the roads (or maybe your country is such a different planet that risks like that don't exist?).

On bloke egos: The ego swings other way too: if there's something you can't do, ego don't like that. Ego don't want to be an idiot that can't even cycle properly. Could this be harnessed to get the bloke to lose the ineptitude? Maybe training in the neighboring town or with a fake hipster 'tache, so no risk of your mates seeing? I remember in mid 90's when I first started to venture out the sandbox on my bike, web 0.9 peeps telling to get the ''Effective Cycling' book. Of course I didn't get it, why would I need to buy a book to learn to cycle? BUT I did get curious of what could that be that I supposedly were in a need to learn and digged out the info on that. It's a fact of life that the bloke demographic is DIY and many of them will "train" themselves, rather than get training. Me, I trained myself and have never been cycle trained, but I'm 100% sure that it's better to get the real training. Just get the message out that they are inept an idiot and your training will cure that and make sure that material for self-training is also available for those blockheads who fail to take the course.

Another aspect of training, maybe, is the importance of your bike working well. And as this article demonstrates, beyond that, it is not about the bike

http://www.bmj.com/content/341/bmj.c6801.full

**Conclusions **A lighter bicycle did not lead to a detectable difference in commuting time. Cyclists may find it more cost effective to reduce their own weight rather than to purchase a lighter bicycle.

back on the slimcia for me then

**Conclusions **A lighter bicycle did not lead to a detectable difference in commuting time. Cyclists may find it more cost effective to reduce their own weight rather than to purchase a lighter bicycle.
Ha-ha. Next these people will tell you that how cool your bike looks don't matter either.

More and more chaps are getting trained though still an issue with men who do think they know it (and many clearly do have stuff to learn as i observe blokes doing amazingly stupid things)

It is difficult to pitch training in a way that men would agree to undatertake without their pride getting hurt. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

See, I never had that issue. I considered myself an experienced cyclist, 15 years of commuting, never had a serious incident. But it only took a few minutes chatting to a certain cycle trainer over a beer to convince me to try it ;)

I took the attitude that it's free, and I've got nothing to lose, so why not. And I did learn from it, and it has changed my riding. Maybe I'm unusual though.

Would you have considered it if it was not free?

Ah, now that's a good question. Depends on how much, but I suspect probably not, even though with hindsight that would be the wrong decision.

it only took a few minutes chatting to a certain cycle trainer *over a beer* to convince me to try it ;)

1 beer and blokes would consider it
2+ beers and they'd pay for it
John I think you've solved the problem ;-)

Ha!

Did Cycle Training yesterday with Michael from Greenwich borough. We rode laps around the cycle unfriendly main roads of Woolwich and Charlton, filled with roundabouts, buses, funny turnings and irate drivers. Michael was enthusiastic and friendly. I was prepared for the worst, but pleased to hear that I was generally doing things right. He did caution that the assertive riding in Zone 1 that I am most familiar with will make enemies in Zones 3-4, where drivers are less used to dealing with cyclists. Highly recommended. I told 3-4 friends about it later in the day, and while none of them knew of Cycle Training, all were eager to have a go. Will see if they follow through.
It's nice to see dedicated people like Michael out there trying to make the streets as safe as they can.

Hi all

Saying as it was this thread that inspired me to give it a shot, I thought I'd share my experience of cycle training, as delivered last night by Toby, an instructor assigned to me by Camden council. Toby clearly had a lot of expertise: a good communicator, and very capable of tailoring the session to my experience level and riding style. Moreso was a really nice guy.

Dude, the cheque is in the post! Glad you enjoyed it. Best, T