Cycle training provider closes

Cycle Training UK ,the organisation that provides the cycle training for schools in Ealing, ceased training on 20 October. Ealing Council are going to put the work out to tender in March 2019, so it looks like there will be no training in Ealing's schools for the next five months or so. A notice on CTUK's website had said: “Thanks to the support of Ealing Borough Council, all the Bikeability courses for this current half term will be completed. Other training and Dr Bike events will continue until late October.” It looks like that time has come. 

The not-for-profit workers’ co-operative ran for over 20 years and for nearly all that time provided the cycle training for Ealing council.  In 2014/15 it trained over 1000 children at 42 schools in the borough, and ran individual sessions for 244 adults and 318 children. It also ran the Dr. Bikes the council provided around Ealing – roughly one per week.

Sadly, it appears to be a victim of the gig economy. It was a not-for-profit workers’ cooperative and paid its trainers a monthly wage. Many other organisations employ their trainers on a job-by-job basis.

Cycle Training UK revolutionised the way cyclists are trained. Back in the 1990’s it was a pioneer of Bikeability training - taking trainee cyclists out on the roads so they could gain the skills to cycle in busy traffic. Before then, cycle training was confined to the school playground. In the last 20 years, CTUK trained over 80,000 people, including many of the instructors that now work for other organisations. It provided Ealing Cycling Campaign with the ride leader and marshal training that enables us to lead our mass rides to central London for the Freecycle event. It will be greatly missed.