jump to navigation
Posted by Pauline Roby in Uncategorized.
Tags: bikes, Buckinghamshire, Bucks MTB, family, Forestry Commission, Mountain Biking, Off-Road, Trail Leader, training, Wendover Woods, young people
Learning to plan routes, assess and control risk, work out operating procedures and manage groups on Mountain Bike Trails is all part of the training that a group of 6 Bucks Beds and Herts Bike Club leaders are undertaking this week in Wendover Woods. They will also be honing their mountain biking skills – breaking them down into component parts so that they can ensure that the youngsters in their care understand the best and most enjoyable ways of biking along trails in beautiful open spaces, such as Wendover Woods.
Sharing ideas and learning together in the Wendover Woods Forestry Classroom on the first day of the course. Next morning - out on the trails!
Find out more about Trail leader and other great cycle leadership courses at http://www.promtb.net/
And to see more information and photos of Wendover Woods and maps of the trails have a look on http://www.forestry.gov.uk/website/ourwoods.nsf/LUWebDocsByKey/EnglandBuckinghamshireNoForestWendoverWoodsMainentranceCyclingtrail
One of our CTC Bike Clubs – BucksMTB - is an efficiently run, friendly, family/youth Mountain Bike Club that offers regular led/group rides in Wendover Woods and other locations too. They have a ride on Sunday 23rd October 2011 – find out more from their website, where you will also need to log in, in order to join the ride. They have lots of photos and information about their activities. http://www.bucksmtb.co.uk/GROUPRIDES.htm
Enjoying the ride! Photo from Bucks MTB website.
Posted by Pauline Roby in Aylesbury, Uncategorized.
Tags: Buckinghamshire, Bucks, Country Lanes, Haddenham, Haddenham Bike Club, Haddenham Cycle Training, On road riding, training, young people
The second group of riders along Haddenham main road, returning from a hilly ride along country lanes.
Riding from village to village is quick and easy! Haddenham Bike Club is showing their members how fast, easy and enjoyable it is to ride around their local villages by bike. A round trip of 6 miles took us through beautiful countryside, through Cuddington Village and into the Bell Pub at Chearsley for tea, squash and chips and cheery faces!These fun Bike club rides take place once per month and invite young people and their families to join in a variety of outings – to local villages, as well as further afield for special occasions, for example they travelled by train to join the London Sky ride, enjoying the busy atmosphere, which contrasts well with the local, easy-going ride that I joined in with on Saturday.The group and the rides are led by Haddenham Cycle Training staff in their own time, who are confident with cycling on the roads and lead the group competently, demonstrating good “snaking” practice – guarding junctions seamlessly to allow everyone to gain confidence and skills on the road, while knowing that they are well looked after.Good practice in Snaking enables an enjoyable, confidence-building ride along country lanes in Bucks
More details can be found about the Club’s programme and how to join in, on their website:
Plenty of opportunities to chat and get to know each other during the Tea and Chips stop at Chearsley
Posted by Pauline Roby in Aylesbury.
Tags: Bike Club, bikes, Buckinghamshire, Bucks, Bucks Young Carers, GoRide Activities, Group Ride, training, young people
Learning a few cycle sporting tips from Chris in AylesburyYoungsters from Bucks Young Carers enjoyed 2 afternoons of cycling activities over the summer holidays. One session involved learning GoRide cycle sport techniques, and a second session took them on a ride in the area, learning group riding techniques and enjoying their bikes and the freedom they bring. Many members of the group are keen to do more, so we may see the group out and about again..... Great to see you out on your bikes BYC! Getting ready for a longer ride ......
Posted by Pauline Roby in Uncategorized.
Tags: bikes, BMX, Connexions, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, Skate Park, training, XC Jarman Park, young people, Youth Connexions
- A grand entrance for new Skate/BMX facility in Hemel Hempstead Herts
Yesterday I went to visit the long awaited new Skate Park/BMX facility in Hemel Hempstead’s Jarman Park – this amazing looking building houses the Skate/BMX park as well as high ropes, climbing wall, dance studio and support from Connexions team upstairs. It has only just opened and the doorway was crowded with youngsters on bikes, skateboards, scooters ….. waiting to pay for their session. We had a good welcome and watched the excellent park etiquette and action from the cafe area.
Posted by Pauline Roby in Aylesbury.
Tags: Aylesbury, Bike Club, Bike maintenance, Blueprint School, School, training, young people
Monday afternoon saw 4 youngsters from Blueprint School in Aylesbury learning how to index the gears, mend punctures and fix and adjust brakes from Mobile Mechanic, Sam Darling of MBRS UK http://www.mbrsuk.com/.
The whole group helped replace the tyre once the puncture was fixed
Sam had a great way of using every comment to move on to the next item smoothly and effectively and the youngsters’ enthusiasm for the subject showed by the end of the session as they stood round their headteacher’s bike to sort the brakes out. They were very pleased with the results and learned how quick and easy it is to tune up a bike and make it run smoothly, with a little knowledge and patience and only a few simple tools.
Adjusting the brakes to make the bike run more smoothly
Blueprint have been running Bikeability sessions and are also planning Sports cycling sessions next term for their students.
Callibrating gears is easier than we think!
Posted by Pauline Roby in Leighton Buzzard, Leighton Linslade, Uncategorized.
Tags: Bedfordshire, Bike Club, Bike maintenance, Leighton Linslade, Off-Road, traffic free, Trail Leader Training, training, Woodcraft Folk
It’s a muggy Monday evening - a boiling hot day followed by steamy showers of rain. I am sitting next to Clipstone Brook, on a grassy bank overlooking the play park near the Planets Estate. I can hear some excited chatter approaching swiftly and suddenly there is a long line of youngsters on their bicycles, with a leader at front and back, enjoying the leafy lanes and routes around Leighton Buzzard.
There are so many lovely cycle routes around Leighton Buzzard for leisure and practical rides.
This Woodcraft Folk group have been using their bikes for about a year now – they had Bike Club funding to have some cycle maintenance training & Trail Leader training for the leaders and some Mountain Bike training sessions for the group, and now they are practicing for an overnight Bivouac/hammock camp in 2 weeks time, by riding various routes in their own neighbourhood – mostly along traffic-free or quiet routes.
Nearly finished - crossing the road near the town centre using a Toucan.
The leaders are showing their new-found skills by doing thorough bike checks before setting off (and carrying tool kits for en-route maintenance), riding forward to oversee turnings and junctions on the road and by having regular stops and breaks to praise the good cycling so far and talk through what is coming up and ensure that everyone is rested and ready to ride again.
The whole group enjoyed their ride out and were very keen to be included in the overnight cycling/camping trip in a fortnight’s time.
The circlular cycle route round Leighton Buzzard, took in many parks, past several schools, the water meadows, canal, riverside and High Street - lots of landmarks to learn the way around town.
http://www.woodcraft.org.uk/where
Posted by Pauline Roby in Uncategorized.
Tags: All ability cycling, Bike Club, Bike maintenance, Bikeability, Buckinghamshire, confidence, CTC Trail Leader, cycling culture, fitness, Fun, Level 2, School, training, Winslow, Youth Achievement Awards
A fleet of bikes and trikes plus enthusiastic trained staff brings fun, freedom and independence to Furze Down students
Having been warmly welcomed into the calm and friendly community of Furze Down School, myself, some staff and students lifted the fleet of mountain bikes and 2 trikes out of the container, pumped up a few tyres, adjusted the saddle heights – all ready for action.
The youngsters needed no encouragement to get changed, find a bike to suit their size and were ready to enjoy the feelings of freedom and independence that the bikes offer them during the school day.
Getting the cycle fleet in and out of the container is a joint effort by staff and students.
Furze Down staff are right behind the project – 1 Teaching assistant has trained as a CTC Trail leader and with 2 more of her colleagues are currently undergoing accreditation as Bikeability Instructors. Many students have already been out for level 2 training (on-road) and out along the Sustrans route that runs close to the school towards Milton Keynes, to experience some longer journeys together. The cycling skills offer a means of transport, fitness, independance and fun, for when they leave school and make their own way in the world.
Watching the youngsters riding in the playground and on the fields around the school grounds, they show growing confidence, awareness of other riders, negotiation through eye contact and bike position and many other life skills – it is a subtle and effective process, appreciated by students and staff.
Furze Down’s fleet of bikes and trikes, plus the trained and enthusiastic staff, offer some opportunities to carry out Youth Achievement Awards, with cycling activities in and out of school, bike maintenance, filming and photo diaries and a growing cycling culture in the school, and the staff are keen to set this up as another opportunity for their students to cycle confidently into their future.
Cycling confidently into the future .......
Posted by Pauline Roby in Aylesbury, Events.
Tags: Adapted Cycles, Aston Clinton, Buckinghamshire, Green Park Centre, training, Wheels for All
Enjoying the sunshine and the cycles - Easy Rider Trike
9 people gathered in an airy Yurt, provided by the Outdoors Pursuits Team at Green Park Conference Centre, to have training in offering activities on adapted bikes today. http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/assets/content/bcc/docs/youth/outdoor_education_brochure.pdf
We learnt how to put the cycles together and take them apart for storage and transport, we considered how best to introduce people to the cycles, thought about what designs would suit what abilities best, risk assessments including checking the cycles and generally familiarising ourselves with how the cycles work and what their strengths and challenges are.
Lots of ways to move about - hand powered or pedal powered, trikes and quad cycles
In amongst the fleet we tried were a laid back trike – like sitting in an easy chair with Harley Davison style handlebars (Easy Rider eat your heart out!), a cycle with a wheelchair platform at the front, a wheelchair with a detachable cycle on the front (making a hand powered trike – thanks Lee!), and a side by side hand powered cycle, plus a nifty quad with fixed wheel which needed pedalling really fast, but was great fun to use.
The Outdoors Pursuits Team are adding a range of adapted cycles to their mountain bike fleet and can lead cycling activities for all abilities and groups can also hire the facilities and lead their own sessions, once they have had the Wheels for All training. http://www.cycling.org.uk/wfa/intro
Posted by Pauline Roby in Aylesbury.
Tags: Adapted Cycles, Aston Clinton, Buckinghamshire, Green Park Conference Centre, Inclusive Cycle Activities, Outdoor Pursuits, training
- Sitting side by side and pedalling by hand is a satisfyling exercise ……
On the 11th and 12th of June 2011, Green Park Outdoors Centre in Aston Clinton, Buckinghamshire is running a Wheels for All Leader Training Course to complement the purchase of a fleet of new cycles. They are offering this chance for local teachers and leaders to train to lead inclusive cycling sessions on an ongoing basis in their local projects. This follows a successful Open Day at the centre where they asked local potential clients of the centre’s resources and activities for their feedback on some of the bikes on their shopping list. The result was alot of smiles and thumbs up from all the visitors and the cycles have been ordered and are on their way in readiness for this course. For more information please contact Geraint Hughes Ghughes@buckscc.gov.uk
Downhill is easier to enjoy - wind through the hair - it's a whizz!
Posted by Rose Rickford in Brighton & Hove.
Tags: Bike maintenance, bikes, Cycling Town, Mountain Biking, Off-Road, Partnership, training, young people, Youth Club, Youth Opportunities
After many months of organising, a group of organisations in Brighton are almost ready to launch their exciting city wide mountain bike project.
The partnership project will involve youth groups and organisations from across the city running their own regular mountain bike rides with a brand new fleet of bikes which will be owned and maintained collectively by the groups themselves.
Back in January 2010 I met with Tarnerland Children and Young People’s project to discuss their ideas for a Bike Club. They were keen to run mountain bike rides, and the young people worked hard on a successful application for Youth Opportunities funding to buy some bikes – hooray! The problem was they had nowhere to store them! Undeterred, Tarnerland worked to build a fantastic partnership with organisations across the city to establish bike storage and make sure the bikes could be used by lots of different young people.
They partnered with the University of Sussex who have provided land, right on the South Downs, for bike storage to be located. The two organisations then joined with other youth organisations working with disadvantaged young people to make a partnership application to Bike Club to fund the storage and other elements of the project including some additional bikes. Each group also made seperate Bike Club applications to gain funding to have their staff trained in mountain bike leadership and bike maintenance. Brighton & Hove Cycling Town provided additional funding to buy tools and parts to help maintain the bikes.
All this hard work has resulted in the beginnings of a fantastic project, bringing together organisations from across the city to share resources and work together to manage a sustainable, fun mountain biking project! Sussex Students’ Union and Sussex University will provide volunteers to support trained youth leaders in delivering sessions for a wide range of young people facing challenging circumstances. The project will give young people the opporunity to access the fantastic South Downs National Park by bike, and to make friends and learn leadership skills.
The bikes have now been purchased, and the first staff were trained over Easter. More staff will be trained in the coming months, and groups have begun booking the bikes for rides in the summer!
Watch this space!
The second group of riders along Haddenham main road, returning from a hilly ride along country lanes.
