Major Taylor volunteers get a taste of teen riding

In preparation for our busy season, we trained more Major Taylor volunteers. After going through rules and expectations for volunteers, we take them on a practice ride. My goal for our training practice ride was to give the volunteers a taste of every problematic behavior I have ever come across while leading rides with teens. That means that I get to be the kid that is breaking all the rules (remember: there are no bad kids, only bad actions). I started off easy, just a little swerving here and there, but then I was stopping suddenly, interrupting everyone, riding off on my own, watching soccer games, walking uphill in the middle of the road, taking pictures while on the bike, calling another ride leader on the road, blowing through stop signs, and anything else that I could think of. Luckily, the people I was working with were top notch and didn’t crack under the pressure of everything going wrong in one 30 minute period (I think that it helped that it was sunny). They're all prepared to be volunteers with the Major Taylor Clubs and to demonstrate and encourage safe riding skills to the next generation.

Image