Sports Leaders & Young Volunteers - Welcome to British Cycling and Go-Ride! 

If you are undertaking or have completed a Sports Leaders UK course or are a young person who just wants to get more involved in cycling through volunteering then all the information you need can be found here! British Cycling welcomes all young people who are looking to build their leadership and communication skills in a practical environment. You can develop these skills whilst contributing to the development of one of the most successful Olympic sports in recent years!

Whether you are looking for a specific opportunity or just want to know more about how you can get involved then take a look at the information below. If you don't find what you are looking for or want more information then please email our Development Officer for Clubs and Volunteers, Kelly Burdett on youngvolunteers@britishcycling.org.uk or 0161 2742126.

Go-Ride

Go-Ride is British Cycling's development programme for young people. The programme provides a fun and safe way to introduce young riders to the world of cycle sport and provides a platform to improve bike handling skills in a traffic free environment. Clubs which deliver Go-Ride activities provide the best avenue for young leaders and volunteers to get involved. More information on the Go-Ride programme can be found by clicking the various tabs on the left hand side.

Cycling Award for Young Volunteers and Racemakers

A fantastic place to start volunteering within cycling is through the Cycling Award for Young Volunteers (CAYV) programme. This combines an introductory workshop, which covers the fundamentals of cycle sport and volunteering roles, with practical placements with our Go-Ride community clubs. You can work towards a bronze (12 hours), silver (24 hours) or gold (36 hours) award with free clothing, certificates, memberships and even an invitation to the annual British Cycling Awards Dinner on offer for outstanding young volunteers.

Racemakers builds on the knowledge gained through the Cycling Award for Young Volunteers and encourages more young leaders to get involved in cycle sport. This is the first step into event volunteering for 14-18 year olds and may lead to further officiating courses to create support opportunities at national and international events.

Racemakers has been granted the prestigious London 2012 Inspire mark, the badge of the London 2012 Inspire programme which recognises exceptional and innovative projects inspired by the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The programme combines a practical workshop with volunteering at a local club in preparation for planning and delivering supervised entry level bike races in school and community settings.

For more information have a look at the programme flyer by clicking the link below or if you would like to join the programme contact Kelly using the details above.

CAYV Flyer (768KB PDF)

Racemaker Flyer (1.60MB PDF)

Volunteer Passport information & downloads section

The Volunteering Options: Coaching, Officiating and Club Management

Option 1: Coaching

Coaching is at the heart of cycling performance at every level from teaching basic bike handling skills in a school or club through to training athletes for the Olympic Games or Tour de France. The coaching courses available from British Cycling will allow you to achieve your coaching goals; coaching at the level and in the discipline you want.

Once the CAYV workshop has been completed the best way to start coaching is by shadowing a British Cycling qualified coach within a Go-Ride club or at one of our Holiday Coaching Programmes.
In addition, depending on your age, you may wish to become a qualified coach yourself.

Level 1 Certificate in Coaching Cycling (L1CCC) for those 16 years and over is the entry-level award into the British Cycling Coach Education Programme, aimed at people new to coaching and cycling.

The Level 2 Certificate in Coaching Cycling (L2CCC) is aimed at people new to coaching and/or cycling. The knowledge gained from this qualification will allow you to develop an understanding of safe, ethical and effective cycling coaching.

For more information about British Cycling's coaching awards, including the discipline-specific awards, please see the Coaching section of our website.

Option 2: Officiating

There are thousands of cycling events every year and they all rely on officials to ensure that they are safe, fair and most importantly fun! The CAYV demonstrates a broad overview of the roles required for a cycling event. The best way to get involved following the CAYV workshop is through Go-Ride Racing.

A calendar of Coaching and Officiating opportunities can be downloaded by clicking the link below. Please note that prior to contacting any of the individuals listed on the spreadsheet, you should first register onto the CAYV programme or speak to Kelly.

Events Calendar (33KB Excel)

Option 3: Club Management

For those of you intrigued by the workings of a Go-Ride club, its activities and all of its different volunteers then club management may be the option for you. The CAYV provides an insight into the varying roles required for a club to function effectively and we can set you up within a local club to explore the opportunities. You could become a youth representative by outlining the views of the younger club members to committee members and even attending regional or national forums with other young club representatives.

To find your local Go-Ride club type your postcode into the Club Finder.

If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact Kelly - youngvolunteers@britishcycling.org.uk or 0161 2742126.