Uk Area Groups

[kingbling]

Are the Uk area groups to large.

For me I feel the answer is yes. Having to drive usually 200+ miles on a round trip to go on a bike ride is excessive, time consuming not to mention costly. Is this something that prohibits other members from going and also does the lack of attendees reduce the incentive for Area AEC's to organise more rides.
I guess we are all capable of organising rides and we do not have to be an AEC to do this but they are in theory not "official" and is this something that also puts people off. I also understand that actually organising a ride can be quite challenging with factors like meeting point, cafe stops, level of difficulty for the route itself, I myself was going to organise one in Cumbria but trying to meet the aforementioned challenges have proved difficult without more local knowledge which has take time to acquire.

To meet these challenges I've come up with a few ideas
1. A blue print "How to" for organising rides, empowering members to organise their own rides would greatly improve the availability of events.
2. Voluntary ride leaders, If you're not comfortable with leading your own ride it would be nice to have someone with experience of group riding to help you out.
3. County rides within the area group, This would I think encourage more attendees to rides if they don't feel like they will spend more time in the car than on the bike, these could be promoted by the area AEC
4. AEC's to be more proactive, I can understand that whilst some AEC's are very good at promoting rides others are not, I am sympathetic to the fact these people have live's and families which must take priority over RB events. If they feel they cannot fulfil the position relinquish the baton to some one that can (as some are doing already)

These are just ideas and I'm sure flaws can be found in all of them but with 43087 members surly we can come up with something.

Regards
Clive

 

[tiboltrider]

Some good ideas and comments there KB!

 

[FluffyChicken]

Re:

I know in our area we have monthly-ish rides.
We have smaller impromptu rides too and a night ride.
The monthly are promoted on here.
The impromptu, nights for the 'local' rides are promoted on Facebook in a closed group (if you don't want to use modern communication you miss out, the forum is just crap for it).
Two area of our Area Group Lincolnshire and South Yorkshire are not catered for but that just needs people around there to want to keep at it with getting people to go along to some 'local' rides.
I'm sure Lincoln and Sheffield could get some going if they wanted and had riders, that is not up to the AEC to organise but up to the local riders, they cannot do everything.

Did I mention this forum setup is not very good for announcing and organising rides. People do not get notified, it chance someone pops or read a post.
That side need moving to a more social setup. I prefer Google+ but many more use Facebook groups so I've had to default to that. I'm nkt sure how well Strava Groups works but even less use that and SkyRide is a bit of a pain to be honest.

Still it takes one or two to get this going 'local' which then spills into the area grips an then to the national that were.

It does also need admins to help push and promote things, it did seem to work but admins move on in life and so site motivation stalls. It needs somebody with the time and inclination.

I'm lucky enough to get out at the moment though and join in local and localer rides when I can.
You might just not see them on here but on offspring Facebook groups

 

[kaya]

Re:

Sorry if my comments seam a bit negative,

Are the Uk area groups to large.

No if they were smaller it would make it impossible to recruit enough AEC or Deputy's,

. A blue print "How to" for organising rides, empowering members to organise their own rides would greatly improve the availability of events.

This has been discussed many time before, if some one wants to organise a ride there is no problem speak to your AEC/Deputy but... if a AEC or Deputy is not in attendance then there is no insurance cover for the ride organiser.

2. Voluntary ride leaders, If you're not comfortable with leading your own ride it would be nice to have someone with experience of group riding to help you out.

AEC/Deputy's are volunteers they don't receive anything other than thanks from riders. if some one wants to organise a ride there is no problem speak to your AEC/Deputy but... if a AEC or Deputy is not in attendance then there is no insurance cover for the ride organiser. (sorry for posting the same answer)

3. County rides within the area group, This would I think encourage more attendees to rides if they don't feel like they will spend more time in the car than on the bike, these could be promoted by the area AEC

We already do this its the monthly rides, we've even had two monthly rides one Sat and one Sun it still didn't improve attendances.

4. AEC's to be more proactive, I can understand that whilst some AEC's are very good at promoting rides others are not, I am sympathetic to the fact these people have live's and families which must take priority over RB events. If they feel they cannot fulfil the position relinquish the baton to some one that can (as some are doing already)

This is not going to happen until some one steps up to do the National AEC job and starts to organise things. I would love riders to organise all the area ride so I just have to promote them, but that dose not happen.


The only way I see to improve the rides are for riders to voice their opinions in the Area rides forums and ask WHEN'S THE NEXT RIDE and CAN I HELP in SOMEWAY?

just my thoughts and experiences form being an AEC/Deputy for a few years.

kaya

 

[legrandefromage]

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=352960

 

[kingbling]

Re: Re:

No if they were smaller it would make it impossible to recruit enough AEC or Deputy's,

If they where a lot smaller I'd agree with you but if you take my Area for example it has to be roughly 250miles from boundary to boundary breaking these down into slightly smaller areas would benefit members for example AEC Wales AEC NW, AEC NE etc
I haven't seen anywhere where you can volunteer to become an AEC/Deputy
ps it there a map of Areas



This has been discussed many time before, if some one wants to organise a ride there is no problem speak to your AEC/Deputy but… if a AEC or Deputy is not in attendance then there is no insurance cover for the ride organiser.

So why not just set up a simple page how to go about it, isn't it much easier to sort your route and then present it to a AEC/Deputy to promote, simple guildlines would make it easier to get the ball rolling in my experience I have found people more willing to seek clarification than to ask questions



AEC/Deputy's are volunteers they don't receive anything other than thanks from riders. if some one wants to organise a ride there is no problem speak to your AEC/Deputy but… if a AEC or Deputy is not in attendance then there is no insurance cover for the ride organiser. (sorry for posting the same answer)

This leads back to my question if rides are not official is it less likely members will attend and what is the issue with the insurance do AEC's and Deputies have to have a minimal qualification such as a SMBLA accreditation or something upon those lines?



We already do this its the monthly rides, we've even had two monthly rides one Sat and one Sun it still didn't improve attendances.

As your Area covers somewhere around 1200 square miles (probably more) it must prove difficult for members to attend rides no local to them. Your Area is very lucky to have you as its AEC as you are very proactive,where as other area's are not as fortunate. See below



This is not going to happen until some one steps up to do the National AEC job and starts to organise things.

Sorry being a bit dense here can you expand on this a bit more please


The only way I see to improve the rides are for riders to voice their opinions in the Area rides forums and ask WHEN'S THE NEXT RIDE and CAN I HELP in SOMEWAY?

There is a lot of frustration in that last sentence and I completely understands why, it is unfair for you to be expected to do everything but by helping members to help themselves may lessen the load of the AEC

Thanks for your response Kaya

The impromptu, nights for the 'local' rides are promoted on Facebook in a closed group (if you don't want to use modern communication you miss out, the forum is just crap for it).

Does this not then belittle the effectiveness of the Forum, members can use farce book but can't be bothered to use the Forum and by using a closed group you are effectively saying its mates only and its not open to other forum members.


Two area of our Area Group Lincolnshire and South Yorkshire are not catered for but that just needs people around there to want to keep at it with getting people to go along to some 'local' rides.

and if there is no one or nothing to turn to and the ride is not "official" where is the incentive


I'm sure Lincoln and Sheffield could get some going if they wanted and had riders, that is not up to the AEC to organise but up to the local riders, they cannot do everything.

I think the title gives it away but you are right they can't be expected to do everything.

Did I mention this forum setup is not very good for announcing and organising rides. People do not get notified, it chance someone pops or read a post.
That side need moving to a more social setup. I prefer Google+ but many more use Facebook groups so I've had to default to that. I'm not sure how well Strava Groups works but even less use that and SkyRide is a bit of a pain to be honest.


I was wondering if the local area section was put at the top of the Home page would more members take the time to look at it and see what it going on.

Still it takes one or two to get this going 'local' which then spills into the area grips an then to the national that were.

It does also need admins to help push and promote things, it did seem to work but admins move on in life and so site motivation stalls. It needs somebody with the time and inclination.

Is this a case of being able to target members in your area so that local rides can be promoted if the database was there you could mass PM members in your area

I'm lucky enough to get out at the moment though and join in local and localer rides when I can.
You might just not see them on here but on offspring Facebook groups

In that you are I have a distinct lack of clubs in my area that i could cycle with and keep pace with them

Thanks for your comments Chicken

 

[FluffyChicken]

Re:

I think the quotings got messed up there so i'll have a read through and see what's what

 

[FluffyChicken]

Re:

So the facebook group may undermine the area groups on here, but after years of finding this forum pretty useless for it, we moved to other means. There is/was an option for people to create a forum group, but that was opt in and test for one are, no idea what can/cannot be done with it.
But for Montly rides, the forum is easier. Post up and see who turns up (the AEC/deputy AEC have check the rides out normally or put uup it's a voyage of discoery. aka don't expect it all to be perfect and the route tested.)
For the other rides it's harder, people just don't look everyday in general so there is no way to nudge them.
Hence the Facebook Groups.
Yes it's 'mates only as such' because they need to ask to join and we check who they are. There is too much riff raff to have 5000+ people over all the country just joining as they fell over it. It was setup as an exension to here and main rides are always on here in our area (Kaya, North Yorkshire and above, ChrisV40 Lincolnshire, East Yorkshire and South Yorkshire. It's a long way from Bridlington to Rutland)


Anyway, the main problem is, it needs people that want to ride, there are not a lot of them.

The idea is, setup a ride near you, post it. Time place etc. See who turns up. It may be a ride you are doing anyway which is always a good start. I've been to many around here where it's been two of us. So don;t try too hard with your local rides. Eventually you may be lucky and build up some riders, even have them riding old bikes. Then plan to put on a bigger monthy ride in your local area or some place you like. see who comes along.
PM your AEC/dAEC's to promote the ride within your Area Group to see if anyone is nearby.

It may/may not work, but as long as you intended to ride anyway then it's no real loss.

For example if someone starts putting rides on in Sheffiled or Lincolnshire area (it's a long way from ChrisV40 stomping ground og the Hull area) he can bump or pin the posts, even ask the rider to join facebook group and create events for the area (it honeslty has brought more rider in locally that this forum).
I promoted outrs on SkyRide and delt with the faff that it used to be. Much easier now and we have had riders turn up, even one who was on holiday here. Some are regular riders now, but they use Facebook and joined the group. (an have a quick fire messenger group too)

Rides are not large, from 3 to 15 can turn up. A lot on evening rides more often than not.

I've forgetton what else was said but this forum just lacks the ability for quick ride setup.
There are area maps ... well there where cannot find them now.
Just pick one you think you are in.

Area's are just a way to shrink the UK down to managable chunks on the forum, it doesn't mean things cannot be posted as 'local' rides.


Hopefully that make some sence, I'm posting in a tiny box that is hard to edit in. I cannot see your post to read while replying.

Oh and Kaya knows his stuff, he's being doing it for ages and our area group riders pop over and ride with them.

But
without people wanting to ride
without people wanting to post up they are riding
whitout a way to tell people close by quickly you are going to ride.
It is hard to do.

 

[FluffyChicken]

Re:

Oh and none is mean to be arguing with you, more saying how things are. Not that they couldn't be improved. But riders need to want to ride.
Admins need to want to promote, nobody else has the tools of the site.

everyone else is just in the middle.

 

[kingbling]

its ok didn't take it in an argumentative way just fair and just criticism of the situation and as you say members have got to want to ride.

out of 121 views on this topic so far only 5 including myself have replied to it, which to me goes to show not that many care about riding I'm not actually sure what they do but I WISH THEY WOULD COMMENT