Experiences of Cycle Training

I had some cycle training yesterday around clapham.

Nearly missed it completely as I was still asleep 15 mins before we were due to start after the cambridge ride, but thankfully the instructor called (going to be late!) which woke me up!

I found it useful even though I think I had most of the basics down - she asked me lots of questions about positioning/what you should do etc which I mostly got right. But it was still useful to know best practice and to have someone watching you and letting you know what you could do better. Some of the stuff about emergency stops I haven't thought about since primary school...

Most useful were the bits about turning/cornering, and having someone confirm what I though I should be doing re: looking over my shoulder frequently and taking the lane wherever possible.

My instructor was thorough, which was great, although we didn't have time to tackle a huge junction like E&C which I was hoping for. We did go down Brixton high street but not quite the same. In any case I don't see this as a great loss as I go through E&C fairly regularly without any probs but would have been nice to have. The main constraint was time...

my only complaints would be about that:time. My instructor was late and rescheduled which didn't happen to be a problem, but it could have been. And also some lame TFL monitoring form to fill in at the end (did you cycle on a superhighway? etc) meant that we didn't have time to tackle anything else, and stopped 10mins prior to the scheduled end of the session, despite starting 10mins later. So I feel I lost 20mins :(

Still a bargain at £8 though. And will certainly take up the maintenance course at the same price. Perhaps 10mins for the TFL form ain't so bad if they subsidise like this.

Otherwise - heartily recommended!

I spent two hours training with wiganwill on Tuesday.

I was in roadie mode and showed up on my tupperware bike, so he took the basic bike handling and maintenance stuff as read and we cruised off to spend a couple of hours riding around in West End traffic, with frequent stops to discuss situations and how to deal with them.

I'd say I was a pretty confident and experienced rider but we still found plenty of areas for improvement and some of the exercises were kind of challenging --- for example, I wouldn't normally negotiate my way from the inside lane to the outside of the Euston Road and back again in heavy traffic for fun, but I was enlightened by how little driver aggression it attracts if you do it right.

Will himself is a top bloke, very easy to get along with and has a great knack of getting you to realise your own mistakes without him actually saying that something was wrong or stupid.

Thoroughly recommended!

Did 2hrs today with Will. Started out on some basic bike checks, positioning, emergency stops, getting onto the road away from the curb. He pointed out that I had a bad 'scooting' habit that I hadn't even really thought about before....scooting along with my right foot instead of just setting off with my left at 10'oclock. Seems obvious but I've been doing that a fair bit totally unconsciously.

Then we checked out my ability to look behind me without wobbling, with an exercise reading how many fingers he was holding up. All fine!

Went down the road to discuss junctions. I learned that I am too defensive and even though I thought I don't hug the curb, I still need to be even more central in the lane. Some really good common sense advise about road-positioning that seems to have evaded me due to bad habits such as not always taking the lane, and not paying enough attention to visibility of traffic beyond parked cars etc, but was nice to learn I have some good habits too, checking behind enough, holding my line....

We then went down through Parliament Sq, on to Whitehall. Here was what I wanted to learn the most about : Roundabouts. I just do what I think I am meant to do but was always unsure about lane changes etc and I don't drive so have never had any formal 'rules of the road' knowledge. Was good to learn that I am doing it right, although he emphasised that I need to be looking more at roads joining the roundabouts, and making more eye contact with drivers. I definitely shy away from making eye contact with drivers and have fallen into lazy signalling habits too, and after this two hours, I saw and experienced the the benefit of very assertive riding.

We went through the underpass towards Knightsbridge, and again I got to practice taking the lane, planning ahead and clear signalling.

We ended up in Hyde Park corner, did one loop of the roundabout which was negotiated through eye contact with drivers and instead of waiting for ages I managed to get into the lane I needed to be in much quicker than I usually feel I do. We sat down and had a chat about the lesson. In all it was a great experience, it was good to have someone suggest areas I need to pay attention to, and also to have confirmation that I am a relatively competent cyclist and that sometimes aggro is just aggro, and not to take it personally (as I tend to do, which spoils an otherwise enjoyable ride home!)

I think it's definitely a good idea for anyone to try this, and Will was an extremely knowledgeable and likeable teacher, with an easy manner, clear instructions, and good banter.

:)

Great post Sem.

I had a cycle training session with Digger last week, extremely useful it was. I would seriously encourage anyone who hasn’t had any cycle training to look it up. Coupled with the training I had previously, they have covered different aspects and I have easily gained twice more than the sum of the parts.

An extremely thorough check of bike roadworthiness opened my mind way more than I expected, all put together with logical sense that will definitely stick in my mind. As recommended, I will test myself and talk through the ‘M’ check with someone who knows it already – probably more than once – to be sure it has bedded in.

I learnt an awful lot about reading the road and other drivers – literally from the line markings (and being a driver I thought I knew all of it already – it’s been way too long since my driving test), to the position and structure of cycle paths, where the hazardous parts of the road are – particularly with temporary roadworks, and when not to use cycle paths if they don’t keep you in a safe place. My indicating was ‘assertively so-so’ beforehand – I was reminded that I shouldn’t indicate apologetically, but very clearly.

Within a week, my signalling improved instantly, I am already much more confident with dealing with a queue of stationary traffic, and overtaking on the outside. I’m also reading the road more, absorbing more from each snap shop my eyes take of the road.

Digger has a way of drawing the logic and reasoning out of you, letting you work things out for yourself – and the knowledge the man possesses of London – well I also know the history of Exhibition Row, Crystal Palace and the V&A, amongst other things … informative to the top!

Big thanks! Hope that the foot heals well and you’re out of the cast soon.

It means a lot that Aroogah now comments ‘Ride Well’ rather than ‘Ride Safe’ when I head off to work in the morning.

Oh, I'm blushing, ride well young jedi...

Great reports! Keep them coming!

I had a really good session with Paul Francis from CTUK today. A couple of things that i've taken out of it are to be more assertive when signalling, rather than limply holding my arm out, to stick more to the centre of the lane, especially at junctions, and to remember that I have just as much right to take the middle of the lane as other vehicles, especially if it could be unsafe for vehicles to overtake me if I allow them to.

I'm going to recommend to my friends and workmates to do training too.

Nice to bump into you and Paul!

So Mrs O went out for cycle training on Friday with London famous London's former most likeable messenger now turned trainer.

As a child she never learnt to ride a bike, a fact I only discovered shortly before we married. About five years ago, I managed to find a way of teaching how to balance and pedal and since then she has ridden some fair distances but will only venture out of cycle paths and so this usually means waiting for our annual holidau or an occasional trip to Richmond Park. She professes to be scared of riding on roads. Nothing I or anyone else can do seems to inspire her into a saddle.

Will took her under his wing. She refused to venture as far as Highbury Corner but did negotiate Canonbury Square. On Saturday, she awoke and asked me to take her for a ride. I forsook the track and pedalled off to Highbury Fields. Other than a brief dismount to cross St Paul's Road, she rode all the way. A couple of laps of the Fields and then off to The Emirates where we lapped the Palace of Evil for a while and then home. She did 13 miles. While most of them were off road, they were all confidence building. Today her personal trainer is coming on his bike and they are off to The Emirates again. To France and the piste cyclable de Gironde at the weekend and, hopefully, by the time she comes back she will be ready for some more training.

Thank you Will and well done.

That's great Clive.
(Will's been so effective at these confidence building sessions)

Be good to follow her progress and find out what elements of the training helped her build confidence and overcome her fear.

Is her aim to commute more and ride more on london roads?

Clive, as someone who has a partner who also will not cycle on roads, at all, that post is really inspiring. I hope one day to be able to write a similar one.

What can I say? With my film star good looks and boyish charm....
Thanks Clive, MrsO was a pleasure to work with and I am happy she has the desire to persevere.
We might have got further had it now been for that cat she insisted on chasing half way across Islington. What a family.

Nooo ... another feline victim of the 'O' family? That's distressing to hear. :)

I had a really good session with Paul Francis from CTUK today. A couple of things that i've taken out of it are to be more assertive when signalling, rather than limply holding my arm out, to stick more to the centre of the lane, especially at junctions, and to remember that I have just as much right to take the middle of the lane as other vehicles, especially if it could be unsafe for vehicles to overtake me if I allow them to.

I'm going to recommend to my friends and workmates to do training too.

Paul is a top top guy, he's Lazerboy on the forum.

off to The Emirates where we lapped the Palace of Evil for a while and then home.

ooooh its the home of English football matey boy.

I think I need some of this cycle training, seems a sensible thing to do so I know what I'm doing wrong - just before I do it on purpose :-)!

...and we progress. Following a 30 mile ride on smooth flat cycle paths in France3, MrsO volunteered and then managed to cycle down to LMNH for lunch yesterday.

was wondering if a link to the mechanical training should also be in the cycle training section of the forum

https://www.lfgss.com/thread48608.html

Paul/lazerboy is a great instructor (have yet to meet a less than amazing cycle trainer at ctuk). He was one of the two people running the mechanic course at the weekend. He was unbelievably patient and tolerant of a thousand and one interruptions and idiotic quips from me.

As ever I would thoroughly endorse that anyone does the cycle training, the benefits it has given me have been huge.

...and we progress. Following a 30 mile ride on smooth flat cycle paths in France3, MrsO volunteered and then managed to cycle down to LMNH for lunch yesterday.

Congratulations!

Don't suppose anyone who has done cycle training and shared their experience here will be at South Drinks tonight and would just LOVE to talk to me about it so I can record the interview for a radio thingy I'm working on for Uni?

Please?

Beer involved.

x

I'm going to recommend to my friends and workmates to do training too.

And a colleague of mine and her friend had cycle training with CTUK in the last few days, I think they said with Wendy and another woman, I didn't catch her name.

They were really positive about it, and were really pleased that they had done it.

Excellent, thanks for that John.

I did some training with the guys at Cycle Training UK too. Was a brilliant way to spend a couple of hours! Despite having cycled around London for ages I learnt a ton of stuff. Can't remember where I first heard about going to see them might of been on here or someone at LCC.

Best thing I got out of it is the eye contact. Number of drivers I see about to do a dangerous overtake that I just stare at them and they pull back. Excellent technique!

Thanks for the feedback. One of the reasons for having this forum is to get as much word of mouth as we can and encourage more people to give it a go.