Background
Cycling UK traces its origins back to the formation in 1878 of the Bicycle Touring Club and, as a club within Cycling UK, the Central London Group of Cycling UK (CLCTC) continues this legacy of cycle touring through its UK and International Tours. The Club has a popular and successful touring programme which provides a unique opportunity to strengthen camaraderie among club members, as well as giving them opportunities to cycle in parts of Britain or internationally that they may not be able to enjoy on their own.
While the various cycling groups within the Club have their own touring programmes, these guidelines focus on the 2* group and will serve to help members of the group understand how they can help support the programme as Tour Leaders.
Tour Leaders
The club relies on any members who have an interest in cycle touring to lead tours which they believe will be of interest to Club members. Currently the demand for places on tours exceeds the number of places available, so the club welcomes those who not only have ideas about potential routes but also the commitment to turn them into tours to help meet this demand.
The role of the Tour Leader is central to the tour programme as they provide leadership in the management of the tour from their initial idea through to the design of the route and the eventual delivery of the tour. While the Tour Leader has overall responsibility for the tour, the Club's Tour Organiser will support them, using the experience they have gained from the organisation of other tours.
The specific characteristics of the tour are at the tour leader’s discretion, importantly they should decide the style of the tour, typically either Traditional Touring (where tour members will focus on cycling together throughout the tour, having refreshment stops and eating meals as a group, and daily rides will allow for scheduled and unscheduled sightseeing stops for all) or Flexible Touring (where tour members will ride as a group or have the option to cycle either individually or in small groups. Socialising as a whole tour group will generally occur at the end of each day’s ride). It is important that the Tour Leader is clear on this distinction when publicising the tour to members to ensure that expectations are aligned between the Tour Leader and Riders, as well as among the Riders themselves.
The length of the tour is decided by the Tour Leader and can often be a week or so, while some are just a long weekend or few days. The Tour Leader should decide on the number of participants, as a guide the average tour group size has been about 12 cyclists, and they also have the final say on individual participants. The Tour Leader should share the tour description with the Tour Organiser so that an overview can be published on the club website.
After the tour has been publicised on the website and expressions of interest obtained, the Tour Leader should consider holding a Pre-Tour Meeting (in person or on-line) to discuss the tour programme with prospective Tour Riders. Ideas for the agenda include: understanding the Leader's tour style; a high-level perspective of the route; points of interest; accommodation; as well as setting expectations on the support expected from Tour Riders, for example:
By aligning interests and expectations between Tour Riders and the Tour Leader at the outset, this meeting will help ensure the overall success of the tour for all participants.
Before the tour, the Leader will share the itinerary including train, flight and ferry times, hotels as well as any specific on-route transport which needs to be booked in advance, e.g. local ferries. Riders should use this plan to organise their own travel arrangements.
During the tour, the Leader will provide daily briefings on the route so that Riders are aware of each day's itinerary, including start times and meeting locations, as well as any specific roles agreed by Tour Riders (see below). Consistent with the Tour Leader’s expressed tour style, it will be at their discretion whether or not daily routes are posted to Tour Riders.
Tour Organiser
The club’s Tour Organiser works closely with The Tour Leader using their experience of organising and leading tours to assist the Tour Leader in setting up the tour. This will include: providing input to the Leader's overall route design and daily route plan; involving other group members who have specific expertise (e.g. route mapping or specific country/language knowledge for international tours); establishing accommodation options; and confirming Tour Riders’ booking status.
The Tour Organiser is responsible for publishing details of the tour on the website, and will also manage the admin as agreed with the Tour Leader. The Tour Organiser will also let members know the outcome of their application and if they have not secured a place, confirm with them whether they want to be included on the waiting list.
The Tour Organiser will create and own the overall spreadsheet confirming the booking status of all Tour Riders, which will be shared with all tour participants. In addition, they will set up and manage a WhatsApp group for participants which will be a forum for general discussions between tour participants before, during and after the tour.