Cycling Proficiency

Just zis Guy said:

Michael (9) passed his Cycling Proficiency theory today - practical tomorrow. Little man, that's a
year younger than I did mine. Fatherly pride much in evidence :-)

Guy
===
** WARNING ** This posting may contain traces of irony. chapmancentral.comchapmancentral.comOpen ↗ New!
Improved!! Now with added extra Demon!

Where is he doing it? Our 10 year olds' Middle School used to do a course, but they stopped it -
something I must sort out ASAP in the new school year....

--
Succorso

Just zis Guy, you know? must be edykated coz e writed:

Quoted message said:

Michael (9) passed his Cycling Proficiency theory today - practical tomorrow. Little man, that's a
year younger than I did mine. Fatherly pride much in evidence :-)

Guy
===
** WARNING ** This posting may contain traces of irony. chapmancentral.comchapmancentral.comOpen ↗ New!
Improved!! Now with added extra Demon!

Brilliant, when I was a kid there was always one run every summer, by ROSPA, that we all attended,
then got our badges and certificates after the test in a big ceremony, much pride, anyone else
remember those times? It just not like that anymore. (Hells teeth, listen to me, I've turned into
my father)

Ian

"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Michael (9) passed his Cycling Proficiency theory today - practical tomorrow. Little man, that's a
year younger than I did mine. Fatherly pride much in evidence :-)

Guy

Pass on the congrats, well done young man. Have you got a heaving bosom or do you need to borrow
helen's ? ;-)

Just zis Guy said:

Michael (9) passed his Cycling Proficiency theory today - practical tomorrow. Little man, that's a
year younger than I did mine. Fatherly pride much in evidence :-)

Ah the kids of today, always beating their parents🙂

I got to be a regular cyclist despite my parents efforts (ditto driver, come to think of it). My
brother is a bit more of a go with the flow type, and currently doesn't have a car or a bicycle. If
I ever have kids, I would hope to be able to provide the sort of encouragement you've got going
there, and not sucumb to the overly risk averse modern culture of stopping kids doing absolutely
anything which may have injured anyone, ever, at all etc.

The next step, I suppose, is letting them out on their own on the local roads.

If the government put the cycling proficiency test on the national curriculum, we may even get an
improvement in road manners in a few decades IMHO.

--
Jim Price

jimprice.dsl.pipex.comjimprice.dsl.pipex.comOpen ↗

Conscientious objection is hard work in an economic war.

"Ian" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Just zis Guy, you know? must be edykated coz e writed:

Quoted message said:

Michael (9) passed his Cycling Proficiency theory today - practical tomorrow. Little man, that's
a year younger than I did mine. Fatherly pride much in evidence :-)

Guy
===
** WARNING ** This posting may contain traces of irony. chapmancentral.comchapmancentral.comOpen ↗ New!
Improved!! Now with added extra Demon!

Brilliant, when I was a kid there was always one run every summer, by

ROSPA,

Quoted message said:

that we all attended, then got our badges and certificates after the

test in

Quoted message said:

a big ceremony, much pride, anyone else remember those times? It just not like that anymore.
(Hells teeth, listen to me, I've turned

into

Quoted message said:

my father)

Ian

I remember doing mine in the school playground on my green Rudge bike 🙂

Maureen

"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Michael (9) passed his Cycling Proficiency theory today - practical tomorrow. Little man, that's a
year younger than I did mine. Fatherly pride much in evidence :-)

Good luck to him 😉

I always thought though in some areas at least you *had* to be 10 before taking Cycling Proficiency
(I guess the education authority would decide the rule).

Is this anything to do with legal issues? AFAIK its the minimum age for criminal responsibility so a
child would be deemed "old enough to be on their bike" (and should be aware that if they knock down
old granny ladies or run over their lapdogs' tails a Bobby may take a dim view of it.)

Alex

Yup I remember doing mine on the school play ground with junctions chalked out. Still have the certificate in an envelope with my 100m swimming, O Levels, A Levels and Degree ! Chapeau to the OPs sibling.

"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email hidden]> wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Michael (9) passed his Cycling Proficiency theory today - practical tomorrow. Little man, that's a
year younger than I did mine. Fatherly pride much in evidence :-)

Can we expect a series of articles in the cycling press bemoaning the high pass rate and claiming
that the Cycling Proficiency test is a lot easier that it used to be?

Toby

--
Remove spamtrap to reply by mail

"Succorso" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Where is he doing it?

It's a course run by Oxfordshire County Council AFAIK, at a school in Henley-on-Thames.

--
Guy
===

WARNING: may contain traces of irony. Contents may settle after posting.
chapmancentral.comchapmancentral.comOpen ↗

"Jim Price" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The next step, I suppose, is letting them out on their own on the local roads.

That is the scary bit. But as you suggest, I am firmly committed to letting the boys develop their
independence. I think Meyer Hillman is absolutely right about this - we are bringing up a generation
of prisoners.

--
Guy
===

WARNING: may contain traces of irony. Contents may settle after posting.
chapmancentral.comchapmancentral.comOpen ↗

Mr R@t (2.3 zulu-alpha) comms room 2 said:

"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Michael (9) passed his Cycling Proficiency theory today - practical tomorrow. Little man, that's
a year younger than I did mine. Fatherly pride much in evidence :-)

Good luck to him 😉

I always thought though in some areas at least you *had* to be 10 before taking Cycling
Proficiency (I guess the education authority would decide the rule).

Here there are two levels, Stage One and Two, although it is not called "Cycling Proficiency' any
more. (I am an Instructor and was teaching children over the summer term)

The minimum age for Stage One is 7. It is over three one hour sessions and is completely playground
based, covering the basics of cycle control, protection, starting/stopping and signalling, bplius a
few other sundries.

The 'official' view is that no cyclists under 10 should be on the road, but that's something I do
not agree with (ssh don't tell the LA). A child supervised by a competent parent will learn much
about road safety as well as developing independence and a greater awareness .

The minimum age for Stage Two is 10, effectively years 5 and 6. These have four playground lessons
covering a wide range of skills. These are then repeated on the road and there is an assessed ride.
There is also a HC test paper.

Children receive a certificate listing the skills which they have achieved, together with a badge.

Quoted message said:

Is this anything to do with legal issues? AFAIK its the minimum age for criminal responsibility so
a child would be deemed "old enough to be on their bike"

I would doubt it. More likely insurance considerations.

John B

Just zis Guy said:

"Succorso" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Where is he doing it?

It's a course run by Oxfordshire County Council AFAIK, at a school in Henley-on-Thames.

Were not you going to take courses?

John B

Just zis Guy said:

"Jim Price" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The next step, I suppose, is letting them out on their own on the local roads.

That is the scary bit. But as you suggest, I am firmly committed to letting the boys develop their
independence. I think Meyer Hillman is absolutely right about this - we are bringing up a
generation of prisoners.

At the end of some of my training lessons, what was really pleasing was that some of the children
asked if i would take them out for a 'real' cycle ride. Of course that would be inadvisable, but to
see the youngsters' enthusiasm was very gratifying.

I suggested they went home and asked if _they_ could take _their_ parents out for a ride and perhaps
teach them about road safety.

I know at least some did :-)

John B

"JohnB" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Were not you going to take courses?

I were, but it all went a bit pear-shaped due to pressure of work. I have a Plan for that, though...

--
Guy
===

WARNING: may contain traces of irony. Contents may settle after posting.
chapmancentral.comchapmancentral.comOpen ↗

"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Jim Price" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The next step, I suppose, is letting them out on their own on the local roads.

That is the scary bit. But as you suggest, I am firmly committed to

letting

Quoted message said:

the boys develop their independence. I think Meyer Hillman is absolutely right about this - we are
bringing up a generation of prisoners.

--
Guy
===

I found the best approach to this is to let them lead rides for a while. It's certainly reinforced
my confidence in my sons ability to navigate the local roads safely, observation and communication
all in order.....I'm now at the point that I'd be happy for him to go out on his own and would be
fairly confident that he'll return in one piece . Dave.

"Dave" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I found the best approach to this is to let them lead rides for a while.

Way ahead of you there....

It is scary to think just how infrequently either of our children has been entirely out of our sight
for any length of time.

--
Guy
===

WARNING: may contain traces of irony. Contents may settle after posting.
chapmancentral.comchapmancentral.comOpen ↗

"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

It is scary to think just how infrequently either of our children has been entirely out of our
sight for any length of time.

Its even scarier when they are and you know they should still be by your side. Even if only for
a few moments it is stomach wrenchingly scary -- and in my case it was my little sis who
wandered (I was 12 & she 2). Not something to repeat. She was found within 3 or 4 minutes but
one does not forget.

T

What does the Cycling Proficiency Test cover?

I would think that any cyclist 11 or over should know the difference between a "wide lane" and a
"narrow lane" and the implications for where you ride in the road.

I also think that cyclists below that age probably don't understand that difference, and so should
be restricted (by their parents, not gov't) from some roads

Jeremy Parker

Jeremy Parker said:

What does the Cycling Proficiency Test cover?

More than it used to. I passed mine entirely on school playgrounds, Michael had to ride on Real
Roads(TM).

Quoted message said:

I would think that any cyclist 11 or over should know the difference between a "wide lane" and a
"narrow lane" and the implications for where you ride in the road.

You live, you learn. Few 1-year-olds cycle on anything other than quiet residential roads anyway,
and Michael is certainly not the type to hug the kerb. Actually I don't think there is much
difference between the road position for a wide road and a narrow one - I tend to keep to the
right-hand edge of the left-hand wheel track except at danger spots like width restrictions, when I
will generally move out to the primary riding position.

Guy
===
** WARNING ** This posting may contain traces of irony. chapmancentral.comchapmancentral.comOpen ↗ New!
Improved!! Now with added extra Demon!