Orgainsing a multi day ride
Discussion
Hi
Has anyone who has done anything like this got any top tips?
At the primary school my daughters attend we've had the idea of a PTA fund raising ride visiting other St Joseph's schools. I've identified a 250 mile, 4 day route taking us from Droitwich, Worcestershire down to Stonehouse, Gloucestershire on day one, through Wiltshire and ending up in Thame, Oxon on day two, up to Leamington on day three and back to Droitwich on day 4. Not intergalactic miles but we're trying to make it not too hardcore to encourage participation. At the moment we're gathering provisional interest for May '15 half term. Looking to have about 12-15 riders in total - parents and staff.
I've identified convenient campsites along the way and got some volunteers to drive the school's minibus as a support/camping clobber vehicle.
Are there any legal/insurance requirements I should be thinking about or do the likely numbers not require any extra cover or clearance? When does a few folks out for a bike ride become an Organised Ride in the eyes of Plod and the insurance companies?
Is there anything else 'hidden' in the organising that we need to think about beforehand that only becomes bleedin' obvious on-the-road?
Thanks
Has anyone who has done anything like this got any top tips?
At the primary school my daughters attend we've had the idea of a PTA fund raising ride visiting other St Joseph's schools. I've identified a 250 mile, 4 day route taking us from Droitwich, Worcestershire down to Stonehouse, Gloucestershire on day one, through Wiltshire and ending up in Thame, Oxon on day two, up to Leamington on day three and back to Droitwich on day 4. Not intergalactic miles but we're trying to make it not too hardcore to encourage participation. At the moment we're gathering provisional interest for May '15 half term. Looking to have about 12-15 riders in total - parents and staff.
I've identified convenient campsites along the way and got some volunteers to drive the school's minibus as a support/camping clobber vehicle.
Are there any legal/insurance requirements I should be thinking about or do the likely numbers not require any extra cover or clearance? When does a few folks out for a bike ride become an Organised Ride in the eyes of Plod and the insurance companies?
Is there anything else 'hidden' in the organising that we need to think about beforehand that only becomes bleedin' obvious on-the-road?
Thanks
Sounds good, you shouldnt need to worry about legalities but I would encourage participants to get BC or CTC membership and therefore have 3rd party insurance cover. Its about £15. You dont need to worry about 12-15 people on a ride together as far as plod is concerned.
Have a competent mechanic check the bikes over first and carry some standard tools and spares in the wagon. Make sure everyone can at least change a tube by themselves before setting off and is familiar with the operation of their bike, yes its highly unlikely they will be on their own but you never know.
Plan a lot of stops, people will always over estimate their fitness and not achieve a desired pace. Most people can do 60 miles in a day without much grumble, by the 3rd morning though I'd expect a few people to throw the towel in so have enough spare seats in support cars for this. I'd also encourage people to eat normal food not gels and gubbins.
Different riding abilities also allows the group to split up naturally however and then reconvene as you stop, remember people at the front will be stopping for longer though. This means you wont necessarily be a group of 12-15 all the time which makes it easier for traffic to pass. Happy to review the route from Glos to Wilts as its an area I know reasonably well.
Ride at the speed of chat, 20-25kmh is fine. Assume a 1000 start, you will be done by 1600 ish so think about what you are going to do in the evenings? cycle themed quiz, treasure hunt etc
Have a competent mechanic check the bikes over first and carry some standard tools and spares in the wagon. Make sure everyone can at least change a tube by themselves before setting off and is familiar with the operation of their bike, yes its highly unlikely they will be on their own but you never know.
Plan a lot of stops, people will always over estimate their fitness and not achieve a desired pace. Most people can do 60 miles in a day without much grumble, by the 3rd morning though I'd expect a few people to throw the towel in so have enough spare seats in support cars for this. I'd also encourage people to eat normal food not gels and gubbins.
Different riding abilities also allows the group to split up naturally however and then reconvene as you stop, remember people at the front will be stopping for longer though. This means you wont necessarily be a group of 12-15 all the time which makes it easier for traffic to pass. Happy to review the route from Glos to Wilts as its an area I know reasonably well.
Ride at the speed of chat, 20-25kmh is fine. Assume a 1000 start, you will be done by 1600 ish so think about what you are going to do in the evenings? cycle themed quiz, treasure hunt etc
That's really useful, thank you.
Good thinking about the British Cycling membership. There are couple of us keenies who are driving the organisation and I think between us we can cover the tooling. I'd hoped to call in a few pals who work in/run bike shops so they might be able to help out with bike checks in return for some sales on tubes and other consumables and a bit of publicity (between us we've got contacts in BBC Hereford & Worcs and Free Radio which we'll be pestering).
Hopefully the diminishing daily mileage will keep everyone going to the end. The route we have so far, based around the location of the schools and crude mileage taken from everyday AA routefinder, is
Day 1 - Droitwich - Worcester - Malvern - Ross on Wye - Stonehouse, Glos (76 miles)
Day 2 - Stonehouse - Malmesbury, Wilts - Carterton, Oxon - Headington, Oxford - Thame (79 miles)
Day 3 - Thame - Banbury - Leamington (56 miles)
Day 4 - Leamington - Droitwich (40 miles)
Any advice on the route through your neck of the woods would be great. I've deliberately picked these schools as it goes through some lovely parts of the country (as opposed to one of the alternatives which zig zagged through Birmingham and the Black Country, no offence 'ar kid).
We've got the luxury of plenty of time to get it all sorted so haven't got round to detail of evening entertainment! I figured food and pub would cover it!
I was going to suggest that pre-ride we all entered a moderate early season sportive (40-50 miles) to test whether folk are up to a decent length ride. Some of the staff who have expressed an interest aren't 'cyclists' yet, but mostly pretty fit. I think the main concern I have will be the level of equipment and kit non-regular cyclists will have. We don't need everyone to be Dogma'd and Rapha'd up to the gills but by the same token bikes will need to be fairly decent and comfortable for those distances. Maybe the friendly cycle shops can come in here too.
I'll keep it all updated here!
Cheers
Good thinking about the British Cycling membership. There are couple of us keenies who are driving the organisation and I think between us we can cover the tooling. I'd hoped to call in a few pals who work in/run bike shops so they might be able to help out with bike checks in return for some sales on tubes and other consumables and a bit of publicity (between us we've got contacts in BBC Hereford & Worcs and Free Radio which we'll be pestering).
Hopefully the diminishing daily mileage will keep everyone going to the end. The route we have so far, based around the location of the schools and crude mileage taken from everyday AA routefinder, is
Day 1 - Droitwich - Worcester - Malvern - Ross on Wye - Stonehouse, Glos (76 miles)
Day 2 - Stonehouse - Malmesbury, Wilts - Carterton, Oxon - Headington, Oxford - Thame (79 miles)
Day 3 - Thame - Banbury - Leamington (56 miles)
Day 4 - Leamington - Droitwich (40 miles)
Any advice on the route through your neck of the woods would be great. I've deliberately picked these schools as it goes through some lovely parts of the country (as opposed to one of the alternatives which zig zagged through Birmingham and the Black Country, no offence 'ar kid).
We've got the luxury of plenty of time to get it all sorted so haven't got round to detail of evening entertainment! I figured food and pub would cover it!
I was going to suggest that pre-ride we all entered a moderate early season sportive (40-50 miles) to test whether folk are up to a decent length ride. Some of the staff who have expressed an interest aren't 'cyclists' yet, but mostly pretty fit. I think the main concern I have will be the level of equipment and kit non-regular cyclists will have. We don't need everyone to be Dogma'd and Rapha'd up to the gills but by the same token bikes will need to be fairly decent and comfortable for those distances. Maybe the friendly cycle shops can come in here too.
I'll keep it all updated here!
Cheers
I'd advise telling everyone about a minimum level of kit they are expected to take.
We all know the list,
Pair of tubes
Packable rainproof
Tyre lever
Pump
Multitool
I'd include a couple of spare tyres, small box of tubes on the back of a support vehicle with a toolkit and a track pump.
I put together a slightly more extensive list for a trip to the continent, however it was a bit longer and earlier in the year with more changeable weather.
We all know the list,
Pair of tubes
Packable rainproof
Tyre lever
Pump
Multitool
I'd include a couple of spare tyres, small box of tubes on the back of a support vehicle with a toolkit and a track pump.
I put together a slightly more extensive list for a trip to the continent, however it was a bit longer and earlier in the year with more changeable weather.
CooperS said:
Pm me and i'll see what i can provide (might be over the weekend before i can get you anything)
I set up /organised/ supported now two 500+ mile ride over 4 days for 40 riders on both events raising £75k in the process.
Lots of lessons learned! Jolly good fun but HARD work!
Thanks, much appreciated - but how do I PM??I set up /organised/ supported now two 500+ mile ride over 4 days for 40 riders on both events raising £75k in the process.
Lots of lessons learned! Jolly good fun but HARD work!
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