In our sport, it’s people power that keeps the wheels turning.
British Cycling activities are only made possible thanks to the passion and support of more than 14,000 volunteers. From every led ride to race, many will be giving up their time for the love of the sport and to enable others to take part. While many are riders ’giving something back’, you don’t need to be a cyclist to make a difference here.
Clubs, groups and events
Most of us want to make a difference in our own local area, and volunteering at a nearby club is a great place to start. The committee will be well-placed to highlight where they need help, which might range from a coach or welfare officer for kids’ activities through to a role like treasurer or supporting with event organisation.
Alternatively, you can use our events tool to look up events coming up nearby and contact the organiser to see if they need an extra pair of hands. Roles could include help setting up a course, looking after rider registration or being a marshal to ensure competition goes ahead safely.
If you have a special skill, why not tell your local club about it? Clubs can be a great place to develop your sports photography or video editing, so could you work with a club or group to create some content or help out with social media?
Learn with us
Covering coaching, ride leadership, officiating and cycle training, there are hundreds of courses available within British Cycling education to help you to kickstart your volunteering journey. If you are considering a coaching award there are also options for self-employed or contract work, plus financial support is available to help you get started.
Browse the options below to learn more about the courses we offer, and do reach out to clubs, groups and organisers to find out how you can best help if you’re not sure; there will definitely be a way you can make a difference.
Coaching
Whether you’re doing it as a hobby or looking to make a career of it, there are loads of great opportunities in coaching – and you can get involved across all of the cycling disciplines. The transferrable skills you’ll use and learn in coaching are enormously beneficial in all walks of life, so why not see if it’s for you?
Event officials
Commissaire
Becoming a commissaire or referee is a brilliant way to support your sport and provide safe racing opportunities for the stars of today and tomorrow. Present at all races across all disciplines, these trained officials possess a huge wealth of knowledge and understanding, plus there are some great opportunities to progress to international competition too, for those interested.
Accredited marshal
The role of accredited marshal is specific to road racing, where there is a need to hold traffic to allow the safe passage of a bike race on a public highway. Once trained, you would be a key part of the event team, making use of a ‘Stop! Cycle race’ sign to legally stop and hold traffic on the race route.
Community cycling
If you are interested in leading rides and inspiring more people to take part in cycling, or helping out at community events around the country, our community programmes are a great way to make a real difference and help others to discover the joy of cycling all year round.
