Ride Social

It happens to all of us: every once in a while, something which you thought you knew a fair bit about surprises you. Maybe, like me, you’re the kind of cyclist who just gets on a bike, texts a friend or two, or commutes regularly. Maybe you’re a regular club rider or have a group of buddies like well-thumbed phone book entries for your excursions. Either way, like me, you might not have even heard of RideSocial. Yet, right now, there are over 60,000 members using this unique networking tool, designed especially for cyclists the country over. Like all social networks, people are the key and the driving force to RideSocial – and, like many other success stories, it took the foresight of just a few to get the ball rolling, but the enthusiasm of many more to keep it rolling. I was invited to an exclusive event at the National Cycling Centre in Manchester – a chance to meet the brains behind it and, perhaps more importantly, talk to (and ride with!) the everyday cyclists who organise, promote and encourage social riding.

To find out how RideSocial began, I spoke to Stewart Kellett, Director of Recreation and Partnerships at British Cycling. Beginning with the UK’s successes at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the nation’s renewed interest was a massive boost to the sport. As his title suggests, though, Stewart was more interested in using that momentum to drive real change in everyday cycling.

“It wasn’t just about racing. It was about creating normal cycling opportunities, the outdoors, meeting people and, most of all, fun”.

From that mind-set came a series of new ventures between Sky and British Cycling, including Sky Rides, organised group events led by trained ride leaders. It seemed that balance between popping down to the pub with your mates and turning up at a slightly intimidating club ride totally green had been struck. Participants wanted more: people started swapping numbers and organising their own group rides. The riders were already building a social network but what they needed was a tool to organise it. Kellett and his team were right on it – the reach of online social networking was readily apparent. Facebook passed 200 million users in early 2009 and the internet began to burst with people’s hopes, heartbreaks and pictures of cute cats. RideSocial had just one altogether

healthier aim, however: to get people together riding bikes.

Bums off the sofa and on the saddle

How do you get people back on a bike, or on it for the first time? The RideSocial platform is centred around accessibility, friendliness and choice, so that riders feel comfortable with whatever ride they choose. Members (or ‘Buddies’) are encouraged to share a little about their cycling experience and the kind of riding they like, as well as their availability. Anyone can start a ride, posting the distance, duration, pace and number of stops, so people can search for the kind of ride they feel good about joining. It’s such a fluid and people-centred approach that members quickly meet others with similar aims or abilities, as well as fears or hang ups, which, luckily, are easily quashed by the encouraging atmosphere RideSocial promotes.

As if to distil this kind of attitude in one person, we had the pleasure of meeting Sean Conway as special guest, a passionate adventurer and the only man to have cycled, run and swum the length of the British Isles. With his bushy beard and history of outlandish journeys, he might not have seemed like a man who sympathised with those taking their first pedal strokes back into cycling, but his first big bike trip was just that: the classic Land’s End to John O’Groats, with no deadline and a £300 second-hand bike from eBay, which was much too big. Like many of us who ride today, he then gave up riding completely for years, until the realisation of an unfit body and an unmotivated mind led him to try for a round the world trip. In spite of the grandness of that attempt, his message was clear and to the point: it doesn’t matter how small the achievement, it’s a journey towards better health and social interaction. In his own words: “If cycling gets bums off the sofa, it has to be a great thing, surely?”

The main presentation, of some very smart and unique RideSocial jerseys, was to those who had organised the most rides or started the most groups, motivating others to achieve similar goals. The statistics were amazing. Ian Cameron, the top “creator,” had organised over 200 rides. It was clear

the success of their rides was down to approachability, inclusiveness and fun. I asked Colin Goodman, another creator, to explain some of the ways he achieved this. His mantra was “everybody starts and finishes together”. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But with mixed abilities and bikes, on public roads, it’s a testament to the patience, communication and skill of the leaders. Colin even rides a bike that works but looks like a piece of junk – there’s little more intimidating to a novice than your leader arriving on the latest carbon aero race bike in team lycra! Joy Lummis, with 40 rides to her credit, summed up her motivation in the best way possible:

“Cycling today reminds me of going out playing in the fields as a kid and returning hungry.”

At this point, I started to notice that lots of people were itching for their outdoors time today. When it was time to get riding, there was definitely something of a scrum to the bikes, when everyone had decided which of the three rides to take part in. There was a steady road ride, a longer ride with some gravel tracks; I chose the MTB route through the purpose-built Clayton Vale trails, led by some of the guys responsible for building them. As we stopped frequently to keep the group together, it was great to see grins from ear to ear, particularly Elaine and Janine, two ladies whose laughs became the soundtrack to the next hour, in spite of (or perhaps because of!) their inexperience on winding trails. Those who looked a little nervous were gently encouraged by the leaders and others, but never pressured. Soon they were having almost as much fun as the guy riding his vintage Bianchi tourer, who tackled everything with a smile and a healthy ambivalence towards his headset bearings. I was a convert – social riding, whatever the terrain, speed or distance, is essential to getting people on bikes. If riders can start in a safe and encouraging environment, they’re more likely to start thinking of a bike as regular transport as well. British Cycling has ambitious targets, including 1 million more women on bikes by 2020, so if you know any friends who haven’t ridden for a while or are thinking of it, there’s a great way to get them started. Ride Socially!