by John O'Dowd

Dear Valued CRW Ride Leaders,

At the heart of our cycling club are the dedicated individuals who lead our rides and foster our community spirit. Your commitment and enthusiasm make our club thrive, and we're grateful for your continued involvement. To ensure we maintain a vibrant and active leadership roster, we're introducing a new policy on maintaining ride leader status. We believe this update will help us better support our active leaders and encourage increased participation.

Background

Our club currently has 172 registered ride leaders, with 84 leading rides in the past year. A recent analysis showed that many registered leaders haven't led rides in over a decade. While we understand that personal circumstances change, we want to ensure our roster reflects our active leadership accurately.

This policy aims to:

1. Recognize and support active ride leaders

2. Encourage increased ride leadership participation

3. Maintain an up-to-date roster of active leaders 

New Policy Overview

Effective January 1, 2025, to maintain ride leader status, individuals will need to meet the following criteria:

• Lead or co-lead at least three rides within a two-year period (the first evaluation period will be from January 1, 2025, to January 1, 2027)

Implementation Details

To receive credit for leading or co-leading a ride:

• Register for the ride you're leading

• Select "Ride Leader" or "Co-leader" ticket type when registering

Exceptions and Support

We understand that life can present unexpected challenges. If you're unable to meet these requirements due to injury, family obligations, work commitments, or other circumstances:

• Contact the VP of Rides to discuss your situation

• We'll work with you to accommodate your circumstances and maintain your status

What Happens If Requirements Aren't Met?

If a ride leader doesn't meet the requirements:

• We'll reach out to discuss your situation and interests

• We'll work with you to find ways to help you maintain your status if desired

• If inactive status is preferred, ride leader benefits (gifts, awards, discounts, events) will be discontinued

How We'll Support You

To help our ride leaders meet these new requirements, we're planning to:

• Offer mentorship programs pairing experienced leaders with new ones

• Provide additional training and resources for ride planning and execution

• Create more opportunities for co-leading rides

Why This Change?

This policy was carefully crafted by our senior leadership team, with input from the Rides and Safety Committee and the CRW Board. The requirements are designed to be achievable while ensuring an active leadership roster. By maintaining an accurate list of active leaders, we can better allocate resources, plan events, and support those who are regularly contributing to our riding community.

We're excited about the positive impact this change will have on our club. If you have any questions or concerns about this new policy, please don't hesitate to reach out to our ride program coordinators or the VP of Rides. Your feedback and involvement are crucial as we work together to strengthen our club.

Thank you for your dedication to CRW. We look forward to many more great rides with you at the helm!

Ride on, 

John O’Dowd
VP of Rides, Charles River Wheelers