FAQs

Are you a welcoming community? Try us! We welcome everyone. Our riders are all ages from 18 to 80+, an equal mix of women and men, with representation across minority groups. Socialising is just as important as cycling, which is why our long weekend rides have lunch stops. Do you have social events? Yes, we have at least three club social events a year. How much does it cost to join? Riding with us is, and always will be, free. This ensures that cost is not a barrier to participation. If regular riders wish, they can make an annual donation. We suggest this be £20, and many donate more than this. How do I sign-up to come along for the first time? Before joining our group rides for the first time, all riders must complete our training. Email us at hello@vievelo.org (mailto:hello@vievelo.org)and we will provide more information and get you along to a training session.

Can I ask my visually impaired partner about their visual impairment? Yes, most our visually impaired riders welcome this, however be sensitive if a person indicates that they are not comfortable with the conversation. It is important to talk about communication and support needs before a ride so that the sighted rider gains an understanding of their partner’s level of vision and what communication they require during the ride. How do I guide my visually impaired partner when off the bike? Ask if they would like to be guided and how. Ask which side they would like you, right or left. Present your arm for them to hold. This allows relaxed contact between the guide and the guided. Then walk side by side, giving direction as required to navigate obstacles. Crucially, do not drag your visually impaired partner – walk normally. Check out this RNIB page (https://www.rnib.org.uk/your-eyes/navigating-sight-loss/guiding-a-blind-or-partially-sighted-person/)which provides information and videos on guiding. We include sighted guiding as part of our new rider training.

What is your tandem training like? Our training sessions are thorough and fun. We tend to have several new riders, sighted and visually impaired, at each session. Most have never ridden a tandem before or guided a visually impaired person. Our sessions are designed to ensure everyone feels comfortable and safe on our rides, both on and off the tandem. We train all riders on the importance of the 3 Cs of tandem riding: communication, control and confidence. We talk about visual impairment and how to guide a blind person when walking. We then demonstrate tandem riding. New riders then try tandem riding in the safety of the park. The final part is a ride out on paths and roads. Until riders have completed their training, we pair new sighted riders with other sighted riders, and new visually impaired riders with experienced sighted pilots. How long does tandem training take? We run training sessions every two months or so. Riders can complete it in a single 2-3 hour session, or in a couple of sessions, depending on their needs, progress and confidence. Further practice is always an option and is easily arranged. I have experience riding a tandem, do I need to complete your training? Yes, as part of our commitment to rider and ride safety we ask that all new riders complete training, regardless of experience. Communicating with and guiding a visually impaired person is just as important as safe tandem riding skills. How do I sign up for training? Email us at hello@vievelo.org (mailto:hello@vievelo.org)and we will get back to you promptly with more information. What other types of training do you do? We offer first aid and ride leader training to our riders, typically on an annual basis. Many of our riders are qualified Cycling Scotland ride leaders. We also do tandem 'M' check and basic maintenance training.

Do I have to be able to ride a bike? If you are visually impaired, no you do not, our experienced sighted riders will look after you. If you are a sighted rider, yes, you should be able to ride a bike confidently. Do I need to have ridden a tandem before? No, most people who come along for the first time have never ridden a tandem before. We provide training for all. Can I really ride that far? When you are new to cycling, a few miles may seem impossibly far. After a few rides, you will realise that the bike rolls easily and the miles pass quickly. We pair new visually impaired riders with strong, experienced sighted riders, and we have e-tandems. Many of our riders who had doubts before they started now complete rides of forty miles or more with ease. Do I have to be fit? No, you do not. Many visually impaired people join us having struggled to take regular exercise. We have e-tandems which make cycling easier. We also take fitness levels into account when deciding rider pairings for each ride. Sighted riders should have a reasonable fitness level. Do I need to have bike maintenance skills? No. We have riders with reasonable bike maintenance skills who can fix most problems on a group ride. We help each other on rides, ensuring no-one is left behind. We provide bike maintenance training.

How do you communicate with riders? We use a combination of email and the Spond app for our club communications and ride organising. We are careful to ensure our communication is accessible for our visually impaired riders.