Swindon's Nigel Davis leads 'Couch to 100K' series

Since joining Let’s Ride as a Ride Leader in 2023, Nigel Davis has led Guided Rides in and around the Swindon area ever since. With prior experience of ride leading at local cycling clubs, Nigel’s passion for getting more people on bikes has only grown in this time, complemented by his other cycling-connected roles.

With the support of Area Coordinator, Lew Lawton, Nigel launched a ‘Couch to 100K’ challenge earlier this year, which saw 27 riders take part over a ten week period. As a build on to a previous ‘Couch to 50K’ series, Nigel was inspired to launch this initiative for his existing Let’s Ride participants, who totalled a whopping 5235 miles in distance throughout the challenge – that’s 25 times the length of Wales!

“I see Let’s Ride as a tool to get people on bikes, and this challenge provides a pathway of progression for those who want to stay within the platform but also want to push themselves.”

The structure formed itself by the co-hort naturally splitting into two groups from which point, they went from strength to strength. Participants supporting each other as the weeks passed, under the guidance of several local Ride Leaders from different clubs and groups, resulted in a real sense of community.

“Working with the other Leaders towards the same goal quickly saw any existing club colours disappear. Teamwork just made it easy to achieve what we set out.”

When asked about highlights from the series, Nigel recalled a timeline of standout moments, spanning from the first week to the very final ride.

“It was rewarding to see the progression of riders, particularly those who had very limited cycling experience. We hosted an off-road session at the Swindon race circuit on the first week, teaching road etiquette and how we communicate on rides. The full circle moment arrived at the finish of our last ride, as we toasted the achievement of those same riders as a group in a local pub.

“Personal stories were shared within a heart-warming group discussion. Some people were only recently recovering from injuries or medical conditions and for around sixteen of the participants, this was their first time they’d ever cycled a distance of that scale.

“It really felt like we broke down barriers throughout the series too, and inspired people who had borrowed bikes for this purpose, to go and buy their own bikes.”

This is a great example of how organised initiatives with the realm of community rides can have a significant impact, demonstrating that participants can achieve what they put their mind to as a collective, forming bonds and strengthening friendships along the way. As a biproduct of the series itself, a legacy has formed within the Swindon community network for cycling, connecting people across Let’s Ride, clubs and groups, who otherwise may never have ridden together.

And Nigel doesn’t plan to stop there.

“My next series is in planning – something along the lines of ‘Couch to wherever my e-bike takes me’. A series like this is a big commitment for everyone involved, but it’s about helping people on their own journey, respecting that not everyone aspires to join a cycling club or be involved in a more competitive side of the sport. That’s why I love doing what I do and I’m excited to see what we can achieve in the next one.”