Rides Programme: Mission, Challenges and Roadmap
Introduction
1. Our Mission
Our mission is to develop a confident, supported and sustainable team of volunteer ride leaders who can provide a welcoming, safe and varied programme of cycling opportunities for people in Harrow — from their first short ride through to longer and more challenging rides.
This is deliberately about more than simply increasing the number of rides or ride participants.
The aim is to create a framework comprised of the people, support and programme organisation needed for a sustainable cycling offer in Harrow.
Success will be considered in terms of:
The development and retention of volunteer ride leaders
The quality and confidence of the ride leader team
The support provided to individual ride leaders
The strength of the ride leader team as a whole
The range and consistency of rides available
Participation in Beginner Bike Rides, led rides and mass rides/events
Feedback from riders and ride leaders
2. The Four Challenges
Challenge 1 — Build and retain the ride leader team
How do we develop enough confident and capable ride leaders to provide a sustainable programme?
This includes:
Creating a pathway for people who want to become ride leaders
Developing new ride leaders
Helping existing leaders develop their skills
Understanding what motivates volunteers
Identifying and removing barriers to becoming a ride leader
Retaining existing ride leaders
Recognising and valuing the contribution of volunteers
Key questions:
What do people need from Harrow Cycle Hub to become, and remain, an active ride leader?
Should ride leaders be classed as volunteers by HCH and undertake DBS check and Safeguarding training if they lead under the HCH name and brand?
Challenge 2 — Give ride leaders the support they need
How do we make it easy and enjoyable for a ride leader to organise and deliver a good ride?
Potential support includes:
Mentoring and buddying
Support for new ride leaders
Ready-to-use packaged rides with full ride descriptions ready for Let's Ride
GPX routes, either has a packaged ride or with summary description
Let's Ride information and tips
Suggested promotional text
Simple processes for adapting or creating rides
A forward planning tool to schedule and fill the Beginner Bike Ride slots
A social organiser to provide the support required to bring the team together
The underlying principle is that:
A ride leader should not have to reinvent the ride every time.
Challenge 3 — Create a functioning ride leader team
How do we move from a collection of individual volunteers (existing ride leaders and new ride leaders) to a supported and connected team?
Questions include:
How should ride leaders communicate?
How often should the team meet?
How are Beginner Bike Rides allocated and scheduled?
How do we share experience and good practice?
How do we welcome and induct new leaders?
How do we recognise and thank volunteers?
What do we need from the person who coordinates the overall rides programme?
Key question:
What does a great experience of being a Harrow Cycle Hub ride leader look like?
Challenge 4 — Create a reliable and attractive programme of rides
How do we create a consistent programme that people can understand, join and return to?
This includes the Beginner Bike Rides as well as the wider programme.
Beginner Bike Rides:
Maintain the Saturday 2pm slot
Create another slot in a different location and/or different time
Ensure sufficient leader and volunteer cover
Develop a reliable pool of people able to lead or assist
Monitor attendance
Gather participant feedback
Consider how participants progress beyond their first rides
Wider ride programme:
Develop a library of ready-to-use packaged rides
Develop ride collections with GPX and summary descriptions
Provide different distances and levels of difficulty
Create opportunities for progression from beginner rides to longer rides
Develop opportunities for mass rides and special events
The ultimate aim is to create a pathway rather than simply a list of rides:
First ride → Beginner ride → Short led ride → Longer led ride → Regular rider → Ride leader
3. The Four-Stage Roadmap
Stage 1 — Understand and Stabilise
Get the foundations right
Understand the current ride leader team
Find out what ride leaders need
Identify potential new leaders
Review the Beginner Bike Ride arrangements
Establish how leaders communicate
Agree how the programme is coordinated
Identify existing routes and ride material
Stage 2 — Build the Support System
Make leading rides easier
Establish mentoring/buddy arrangements
Create the ride leader support system
Create the first packaged rides
Develop standard ride templates
Agree how rides are reviewed and maintained
Strengthen the ride leader team
Stage 3 — Grow the Programme
Create a sustainable programme for Harrow
Expand the packaged ride library
Create an expanded list of ride collections
Increase the range of led rides including train-assisted and multi-day
Develop progression from beginner rides to longer rides
Develop more mass rides and events
Recruit and develop additional leaders and supporting volunteers such as Social Organiser and Events Organiser
Monitor participation and feedback
Stage 4 — Review and Improve
The programme needs to become self-improving with a focus on quality over quantity rather than simply bigger by:
Learn what works and adapt
Review ride leader feedback
Review rider feedback
Monitor participation
Review the range of rides available including coverage across the borough
Identify gaps in the programme such as coverage across the borough
Refresh routes and packaged rides
Review volunteer recruitment and retention
Agree the next priorities
The roadmap is therefore a cycle:
Understand → Support → Grow → Review → Understand again
4. The Meeting Agenda
This is targeted at the facilitator but is helpful context for meeting participants. The challenges and stages above are seemingly long-winded though they provide the detail required to ensure a consistent understanding across the team.
Rides Programme: Mission, Challenges and Roadmap
First: Where are we trying to get to?
Review and agree the proposed mission:
Our mission is to develop a confident, supported and sustainable team of volunteer ride leaders who can provide a welcoming, safe and varied programme of cycling opportunities for people in Harrow — from their first short ride through to longer and more challenging rides.
Question:
Is this the right destination?
Then: What do we need to solve?
Discuss the four challenges:
Build and retain the ride leader team
Give ride leaders the support they need
Create a functioning ride leader team
Create a reliable and attractive programme of rides
For each challenge:
Where are we now?
Where do we want to be?
What is stopping us?
What needs to happen?
Who can help?
What can we realistically achieve next?
Finally: How do we get there?
Review the roadmap:
1. Understand and Stabilise
Get the foundations right.
2. Build the Support System
Make leading rides easier.
3. Grow the Ride Programme
Create a sustainable ride programme for Harrow.
4. Review and Improve
Learn what works and continually improve.
The overall proposition for the meeting
This is our proposed destination. These are the challenges we believe we need to overcome. This is a possible route for getting there. We now need the team's experience and ideas to make sure the destination is right, the challenges are the right ones, and the steps are realistic and achievable.