Introduction
to Cycling Skills
Introduction
to Cycling Skills is a basic, hands-on course for beginning cyclists.
This course provides bicycle information and cycling experience
to those people starting in their quest for knowledge and skill
in cycling. Its goal is to give new cyclists the encouragement,
confidence and motivation to ride more often. The course includes
bicycle care and operation, and basic traffic and riding skills.
The course
is designed in two three-hour sections, typically consisting of
one morning section and one afternoon section. Each section has
an indoor classroom session and an outdoor on-bike session. Both
sections can be presented in a single day or presented in two days
(e.g., two mornings, two afternoons, or morning on one day and afternoon
on another).
Section 1:
This
section consists of a classroom session on how a bike works and
what that means for safety checking, bike fit and riding technique.
The outdoor session concentrates on handling skills.
Section 2:
This
section has a classroom session on traffic riding, group riding
and bike path riding. The outdoor session consists of a ride on
two-lane and four-lane streets.
Course Outline:
The general
course outline is presented below. Time allotments and emphasis
will vary from course to course depending on the leader and the
participants.
Section
1: Bicycle Mechanics and Handling Skills
- Introduction
- How
bicycles work
- choosing
a bicycle
- parts
of the bicycle
- bicycle
safety inspection procedure
- cleaning
and lubricating a bicycle
- Riding
technique
- position
- cadence
- bike
fit
- Basic
handling skills
- On-bike
handling skills
Section 2: Bicycle
Riding
- Road
riding
- traffic
riding theory
- group
riding
- bike
path skills
- On
the road
- practice
correct traffic and group riding techniques
|
