This Volunteers Week we are celebrating the contributions of our amazing volunteers across different roles in cycling. Today we are focusing on the role of volunteer ride leader within our recreational cycling programmes.
Supporting new and returning cyclists, family rides, women’s cycling, occasional cyclists and anyone who wants to ride in the company of others, Breeze and Guided Rides are fun, friendly and welcoming. You don’t need the latest gear, fanciest bike or coolest kit; ride the bike that you have and dress for the weather and your comfort and safety on the bike.
Let’s Ride volunteers – Guided Rides leaders and Breeze Champions, dedicate their time, knowledge and energy to organise safe, sociable and well organised rides. With a British Cycling Ride Leader qualification they have the skills to lead groups on planned, risk assessed routes, so you can be reassured you will be well supported on a Breeze or Guided Ride.
Breeze Champions have been leading rides in Scotland since 2014, however the programme has grown substantially since 2017 with sponsorship by HSBC UK supporting the delivery of courses across Scotland, not just in Glasgow, where the programme was first established.
In 2018 three friends, Tracey Sharp, Linsey Renwick and Lizzie Mitchell from Hawick attended a course in Galashiels which led them to establish the Hawick Belles Breeze group. We spoke to Tracey, who told us:
“The group have gone from strength to strength with another four ladies completing their Breeze training. They had personally experienced the benefits of cycling with Breeze and being supported by Breeze Champions, whose encouragement and enthusiasm gave them the confidence to cycle in a group.
“Having seven Champions enables us to offer a wide variety of rides, from the very gentle routes of a few miles to the more challenging hillier routes we have here in the Borders. The support we give to each other as Champions and to the women coming along to the group is invaluable. This has especially shone through in the last year when Breeze rides were restricted, but the Champions continued to set challenges and targets to keep the ladies motivated, as we knew how important cycling and being part of this group was for the health and well-being of all. The Champions have enabled the ladies to be part of a group, giving them a focus and an aim, new friendships have been formed, with everyone encouraging each other.
“We now have our own Hawick Belles cycling kit, designed by one of our Champions, which is well recognised within the town. We have also appeared twice on the local ITV news programme, the local radio station and within the local Hawick Paper and the publicity received from this has also encouraged more ladies from the local community to join us.”
The Scottish Borders is a hive of Breeze cycling activity, with groups and rides across the region. Elsewhere in Scotland there are volunteer ride leaders leading Breeze and Guided Rides every weekend. From Castle Douglas in the south, to Thurso in the north, and many places in between, our volunteer ride leaders are out in all weathers, supporting people in their local communities to (re)discover the joys of cycling.
Guided Rides have received a boost in 2021, with 41 Breeze Champions now also signed up to lead Guided Rides. Overall, there are 54 registered Guided Ride leaders in Scotland, and 88 Breeze Champions.
Carole Paterson, a Breeze Champion in Aberdeenshire since 2018 is now also a Guided Rides leader. She told us about her experience leading both Breeze and Guided Rides:
“When it was announced that we could now lead Guided rides I thought that I would like to try this too. Many of my ladies said they think their partners would come if it was not a club type ride. Guided and Breeze rides allow people to try the group ride without the worry of the ‘club’ type ride where often everyone goes at breakneck speed and stragglers are left behind. The promise of a coffee and cake halfway through a ride is also a great incentive.
“I have witnessed many friendships develop through these rides. Just a coupe of days ago I asked what the rides meant to the girls I was with, one of them described them as inclusive. Another said “mad” because she would never have done anything like this had she been on her own.
“Up to now all my guided rides have been female dominated, the odd gentleman here and there but mostly females. Hopefully in the better weather that will change a bit and they will be more evenly balanced.
“I really enjoy volunteering as a leader and only wish this was my full-time job. The response I’ve had since becoming a Breeze Champion has been fantastic. I have watched ladies who were timid, scared to go on roads and worried about being slow and holding people back develop into confident, outgoing, ‘I’ll give that a try, hills don’t bother me now’ cyclists. The little encouragement and support I can provide to the participants on my rides goes a long way.”
Breeze and Guided Ride volunteers are supported by the work of Area Coordinators in each Scottish Cycling region. We spoke to the Scottish Guided Rides Area Co-ordinator, Neil Smith:
"I have never seen such tremendous interest in cycling as there is right now. When out on our Guided Rides we are definitely noticing more groups and more women out on their bikes. As we hopefully further ease lockdown restrictions, there is a real opportunity for our volunteer leaders to capitalise on this high level of interest - cycling's time really does seem to be now.
"With our sister Breeze Champions now participating in the Guided Ride programme, we have more than doubled our number of qualified ride leaders and in doing so, have also expanded our traditional Guided Rides footprint from its West Central Scotland heartland into every corner of the country - literally from Dumfries to Thurso! So, come on, give Scottish Guided rides a try by finding a ride near you at www.letsride.co.uk!"
Melanie Toner, HSBC UK Participation Programmes Manager, sums up the importance of volunteering to both programmes:
“Without a doubt the success of Breeze and Guided Rides in Scotland can be credited to the input of our volunteers. Their enthusiasm, energy and passion for cycling is passed on to everyone who comes along on a ride, making a massive contribution to achieving Scottish Cycling’s vision of Scotland as a nation of cyclists.
“Most of our volunteers undertake the role alongside other commitments and busy lives, and with the challenges of the last year, I am overwhelmed and hugely grateful for their on-going involvement and dedication to volunteering as ride leaders in their local communities. Breeze and Guided Rides are special not just because they get people cycling. It’s also about friendships and health and well-being. Cycling has the power to change lives and transform communities, and much of this power comes from the efforts of our volunteers, to whom I cannot say a big enough ‘thank you’ to.”
To find out more about these volunteer roles, visit:
- Breeze: https://letsride.co.uk/beachampion
- Guided Rides: https://letsride.co.uk/volunteers
Find a Breeze or Guided Ride near you: https://letsride.co.uk/
