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I think John that this thread has veered off from cycling club membership to the economic and social impacts arising from focussed cycling activity. In the UK we have seen this in the way the C2C cycling route gets from West to East (the recommended direction of travel for various reasons) and has worked a remarkable benefit in trade for local businesses. Around 22 years ago I was reading some Rails to Trails papers, (the US version of Sustrans that got its financial act together far earlier) reviewing the business boost from a number of rail trails even than - The Pinellas in FL which had transfomed a local street from a majority of properties lying unused to a premium on commercial premises, and the Burke Gilman Trail around L Washington, which measured the % enhancement to property values linked to the proximity of the trail, and the number of references to the facility in property descriptions. I also seem to recall that Iowa was possibly the first state which seriously started to develop rail trails. Dave On 31/10/12 15:38, John Meudell wrote: > > Actually Heston, one of the key differentiators is the attitude of the > non-cycling community to cyclists (both on the ride and independent > cyclists). > > I’d noticed it on a bike ride across the States a couple of years > before I did RAGBRAI. Everybody I met across Iowa seemed openly > welcoming to cyclists, in (muted) contrast to many of the states I’d > already crossed or subsequently crossed. Many were also enthusiastic > about the event, so a couple of years later I went back (2001). What > was clear was the amount of effort the organizers put in to ensuring > the ride only went through the smaller towns, in a few cases > micro-managing the route to benefit specific local community > organizations and charities. > > Given that most of the towns see little or no passing or tourist > trade, in relative terms the sums of money the ride puts into the > local communities, combined with the targeting of those funds, means > that the ride has a huge impact on those same local communities. > (Iowa is one of the poorest states in the US…..it has the highest > proportion of its population in the armed forces of any of the US > states, often a sign of economic depravation.) For their part all the > local communities involved can calculate the likely benefit, as > RAGBRAI estimates likely daily spend for their participants on their > website….hence it’s not such a jump for the communities to work out > gross spend and how to prise it from my sweaty palm. > > Iowa likes cyclists ‘cos they spend money, they are never rowdy except > in a happy way and they bring their funds to community organizations > that would otherwise not have such an opportunity. And the route > varies every year which spreads the benefit around the state. > > It is a similar situation in Holland with the Drenthse Vier Daagse. > But the stature and relationship of the cyclists within that society > is completely different….which generates another view of cyclists and > a similar dispersed economic benefit (again, route sections change > each year.) > > Contrast that with the London to Brighton, which follows the same > route and format each year. Add to that the organizer has a principal > aim to raise money for their specific charity, with limited support > for a narrow set of community organizations and the contrast is vivid. > > All three have been running for a lot of years. So you would expect > that the presence of these events would have had a significant and > easily recognisable impact along the route and in the surrounding areas. > > The research question is what has that effect been and how has it > effected attitudes to cyclists and cycling….? (answers on a > postcard…no prizes other than a rather worn out RAGBRAI shirt!) > > It’s logistically a viable short project given that it’s possible to > participate in all three within the space of six weeks or so. > > Any takers? > > Cheers > > John Meudell > > *From:*Cycling and Society Research Group discussion list > [mailto:[log in to unmask]] *On Behalf Of *heston roop > *Sent:* 31 October 2012 11:54 > *To:* [log in to unmask] > *Subject:* Re: Cycling club membership > > John, > > Thanks for the clarification. I have known and had the plaeasure to > meet many of those whom have participated in the event. The culture > and pseudo clubs that organize almost exclusively for RAGBRAI is > pretty neat. Many of the off-shoot just for fun attitude has > defintily crossed over into lower level cyclocross. I agree that the > insights that RAGBRAI and the London, Drenth and Dutch cycling fests > would reveal a lot about motivations and reasons people cycle. Most > of my work has focused on racing cyclists, jargon and the dynamics of > races, and group rides, basically anything that involves trainning to > race! > > Cheers, > > -Heston > > *From:*John Meudell <[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>> > *To:* [log in to unmask] > <mailto:[log in to unmask]> > *Sent:* Wednesday, October 31, 2012 3:02 PM > *Subject:* Re: Cycling club membership > > Heston > > Minor quibble, it’s RAGBRAI, the “Registers Annual Great Bike Ride > Across Iowa”. I know that because I’ve been on it and it’s a > brilliantly fun and exhausting mass bikes ride that’s been running for > over 40 years. > > If the definition of “club” were to include such things as mass bike > rides (because many have their own following, people who do them year > after year) then a comparison between such annual rides as RAGBRAI, > The London to Brighton, and the Drenthe Four day Cycle festival (in > Holland) would give a good insight into not just cycle culture but > also the difference in organizational imperatives and impact on the > communities they go through. > > On the history, the “Register” bit refers to the De Moine Register, > one of the major newspapers in Iowa, who have sponsored the event > since it was started by two of their cycle mad journalists in 1973. > > Cheers > > John Meudell > > *From:*Cycling and Society Research Group discussion list > [mailto:[log in to unmask]] *On Behalf Of *heston roop > *Sent:* 31 October 2012 09:05 > *To:* [log in to unmask] > <mailto:[log in to unmask]> > *Subject:* Re: Cycling club membership > > There are many clubs focused across the entire spectrum of cycling. I > studied and compiled many people's experiences in the US midwest and > southeast. Mostly road racers; but there were many MTN biking clubs, > cyclocross and track racing clubs as well as recreation type clubs. > An excellent example of recreational clubs that are family orientaed > look at RABRI "ride across Iowa" participants as well as rides such as > Multiple Siroccos ride. > > Best, > > Heston Roop > > *From:*burton richard <[log in to unmask] > <mailto:[log in to unmask]>> > *To:* [log in to unmask] > <mailto:[log in to unmask]> > *Sent:* Wednesday, October 31, 2012 12:26 PM > *Subject:* Re: Cycling club membership > > Not sure I'd describe them as meeting the needs of the entire > community. From their website, they seem to be almost totally > dedicated to competitive cycling: no family rides, no beginners rides. > > On 30 October 2012 19:47, Richard Lewis <[log in to unmask] > <mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote: > > Mirela, > > If anyone can tell you the answer to this, the organisers of Cycling > Club Hackney can. Have a look at their website to see how they meet the > needs of the entire community. > > cyclingclubhackney.co.uk/ <http://cyclingclubhackney.co.uk/> > > Regards > Richard. > > > On Tue, 2012-10-30 at 14:28 +0000, Mirela Oliver, Research Assistant > wrote: > > > Does anyone know of any research into cycling club membership needs and/ > or member's requirements when joining a cycling clu? > > > > Mirela Oliver, Research Assistant on behalf of Graham Berridge, > School of Hospitality and Tourism, University of West London. >