VOLUNTEERING AS YOU RIDE

Become a ride leader on one of British Cycling’s numerous courses and enjoy riding your bike as well as the warm glow of ‘giving back’

Since qualifying as Breeze Champion on a British Cycling Ride Leader course last year, Samantha Hughes-Lloyd has led more than 50 rides, not to mention discovering a whole lot more of her North Wales homeland and becoming a dab hand at route planning.

It goes to show that volunteering isn’t just about helping other people ride their bikes while you watch from the sidelines.

This year BC is holding dozens of Ride Leadership Level One courses all around the country, qualifying volunteers to lead guided or Breeze rides of up to 50 miles, with the option to follow up with a Level Two course for longer and more adventurous outings.

Hughes-Lloyd took up riding with BC’s Breeze groups after completing a charity ride through Vietnam and Cambodia, and was inspired by what she found.

“I joined my local Breeze group,” she says, “and these lovely leaders, they made me feel confident, and they showed me how to get the most out of my bike.”

Seeing the ride leaders do their thing made her decide to take a Ride Leadership course herself last year.

“I really enjoyed the course – I met a lot of people. There was a bit of theory on the Highway Code, and risk assessments and planning rides,” she explains, “and then most of it was practical, where you would act as a leader and lead the group.”