Join us for the Confident City Cycling ride tomorrow!

[eminva]

How old do you have to be to take this class? Thanks.

Liz

[Chris Eatough]

The minimum is 18 years old for the waiver.

[Arlingtonrider]

I’ll try to make it.

[acc]

Take the lane. Be assertive. Don’t hug the right side of the road when there is not enough room for you and a car to coexist safely.
These were important words heard today at Confident City Cycling Class.

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Mark, Kathy, and I represented this forum today. The first hour was spent listening to instructions and having a chance to ride through some drills to emphasize scanning and safe stopping and starting. The we hit the streets.

Yesterday the instructors introduced themselves. Bruce Wright from FABB said he uses his bike in place of his car. He is a terrific instructor, calm and professional. Mr. Chris Eathough mentioned he did some competitive stuff. I guess *this* slipped his mind. http://www.24-solo.com/trailer/trailer_mov_MPEG4_large_mpeg4_dl.mov You simply cannot be timid when this person is leading.

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For about two hours we rode through every type of traffic situation there is. We rode through residential areas and busy streets (Columbia Pike). We rode along the Mount Vernon Trail and its intersections of Doom. We merged across two lanes of traffic to turn left. We rode sharrows and bike lanes, up hills (Wilson Blvd) and down. We rode through stop signs and traffic lights. We made tricky crossings with limited visibility. Every type of road condition available in Arlington we rode. It was practical and smart.

If you have the opportunity to take Confident City Cycling, do it. It was four hours that may end up saving my life. If you feel confident riding the streets, recommend this class to someone you care about.

ann

[Arlingtonrider]

I just wanted to add to Ann’s info about this great class that there is also an impressive online component to it, with quizzes, that anyone can take at any time. The online course, which took me about 2 hours to go through (you can stop any any time and come back to where you were) covers much more than just traffic safety. It includes bike choice and fit, mechanical systems and maintenance, tips for braking and shifting properly, evasive manuevering (quick turns, emergency stops, and how to best quickly go around unexpected small obstacles) and suggested exercises for practicing those things, and nutrition and hydration before long rides, in addition to traffic safety info. I highly recommend the online course in addition to the hands on session mentioned above. To register for and take the online program, go to http://www.bikeed.org. (easy way to remember – bike ed)

Many thanks to our great instructors on Saturday! It was a wonderful class and practice ride, and I do feel much more confident about riding on roads now, even though I’ve been riding some of them for awhile. Thanks for the swag and snacks too!

[brendan]

@Arlingtonrider 19290 wrote:

…evasive manuevering (quick turns, emergency stops, and how to best quickly go around unexpected small obstacles)

That last one is my favorite because it is called: ROCK DODGE!

Brendan

[KelOnWheels]

I took this class Saturday in DC and it was AWESOME!

We did about two hours of drills (rock dodge, emergency stops, emergency turns, sloooooow riding) then hit the DC streets for about an hour and a half to experience all of the different types of bike lanes. We took the Penn Ave cycletrack, the 7th St bike/bus lane, the 15th St cycletrack, and even made a full loop of Thomas Circle switching from bike lane to car lane to bike lane to car lane… really, really excellent! Now I am not freaked out by the cycletracks.

We finished up with a tire change demo back at the Ellipse, then I relaxed under a tree for a while to recover from all that hard work – which coincidentally put me in just the right place at the right time to see my brother ride past in the Police Unity Tour!

Important thing I learned not covered by the class: When you haven’t been on a bike in a really long time and you’re planning to suddenly be on one for 3 1/2 hours, WEAR THE CHAMOIS!

I’m going to take the June 3 class in Alexandria so that I can do the trail riding half next

[consularrider]

@acc 19278 wrote:

… We rode through stop signs and traffic lights. We made tricky crossings with limited visibility… ann

I hope you don’t mean that literally and that they did teach you to stop for stop signs and red lights!

[acc]

I just took this class with Chris. It is a great investment of time because it is centered around practical on road skills. It’s a controlled ride with excellent leading and instruction. Even if you don’t need this class, tell someone you know who rides a bike.

You must be 18 or older.

[OneEighth]

I took a very quick look at the WABA site and got the feeling there is a rather big gap between the instruction offered in the bike rodeos and the confident city cycling class.
Why not offer this level of instruction (CCC) to kids who are not old enough to drive and are, therefore, more likely to benefit from it? Have a parent or guardian sign the waiver and participate as well if that helps.

[eminva]

@OneEighth 19568 wrote:

I took a very quick look at the WABA site and got the feeling there is a rather big gap between the instruction offered in the bike rodeos and the confident city cycling class.
Why not offer this level of instruction (CCC) to kids who are not old enough to drive and are, therefore, more likely to benefit from it? Have a parent or guardian sign the waiver and participate as well if that helps.

+1 for this comment.

I accompanied my son and his friend to and from school by bike last Wednesday (Bike to School Day). Both kids have bike enthusiasts for parents. We had to cross some challenging roads, but we took a roundabout route that stayed mainly on the W&OD and residential streets. They did pretty well, but I observed both some good habits and bad habits. I can teach them what I know, but it would be great if there were a course for them and other interested kids. They are both finishing 6th grade and are old enough to bike around on their own, giving them a little independence.

I understand Safe Routes to Schools is making an effort to get some of this taught in schools, but it is a long shot. Alternatively, these courses could be taught to scout groups, etc. At least that would cover some kids.

Liz

[DismalScientist]

@OneEighth 19568 wrote:

I took a very quick look at the WABA site and got the feeling there is a rather big gap between the instruction offered in the bike rodeos and the confident city cycling class.
Why not offer this level of instruction (CCC) to kids who are not old enough to drive and are, therefore, more likely to benefit from it? Have a parent or guardian sign the waiver and participate as well if that helps.

+2 for this.
It would be useful for kids to know the rules of the road before taking driver’s ed. I certainly find that instincts learned from driving are essentially for vehicular cycling. Kids need to know from how cars are positioned where they are likely to go. This will tell them how to scan for potential threats. I’m not sure what age this kicks in, but I would think that CCC classes for kids would need to be modified to give them more feeling for the rules of the road.

[acc]

I know I’m stating the obvious but I have more success teaching my own kid in small amounts at a time.
I don’t mind a comprehensive three or four hour class for myself. But for my elementary school age child, thirty minutes at a time is just fine.
He rides behind me and we focus on residential streets and trail etiquette. He’s ten, that’s enough. And for heaven’s sake, the child needs a treat every 30-40 minutes. It’s worse than dragging a large, uncooperative adult who shall go unnamed but who has a strange preference for Twizzlers.
I have zero interest in dragging my kid up and down Gallows Road.
My chamois is not that absorbent.

[OneEighth]

Any class offered to younger kids would clearly need to be tailored to their attention and skill level. No argument there.
My concern is not so much for those kids whose parents are competent cyclists but for those whose parents are a bit rusty.

[Author]

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