Category: education

LCI Instructor Class: Sept 9, 10, 11 in Gilbert, AZ

There will be an LCI Instructor Class held September 9, 10, and 11, 2011. This is the class to take to become a certified LCI (League Cycling Instructor), more info from the LAB.

The location will be:

Town of Gilbert, Heritage annex, 119 N. Gilbert Road, Gilbert, AZ 

This location will be empty except for our class and has a door directly from the conference room to the parking lot.

Application and Candidate Expectations.

questions? contact Kathy Mills.

The Savvy Cyclist Presentation : May 17, Flagstaff

Learn about cyclists’ rights, bicycle safety, riding myths and more!
Presented by Randy Victory, a long-time cycling advocate who spent 32 years car-free and traveled to Washington, D.C. to lobby on the behalf of Arizona cyclists.
Randy is a certified LCI (League Cycling Instructor), and is CAzBike’s Northern Arizona Representative.

Tucson Bicycle Attorney, Eric Post will be available via live feed to answer legal questions about cycling and cycling law. Eric serves as the Coalition’s legal advisor, and is also an LCI and is licensed to practice law in Arizona and the Federal District of Arizona.

The Savvy Cyclist Presentation, Tuesday May 17, 2011. 5-6:45p FREE
Flagstaff Medical Center, McGee Auditorium, 1200 N. Beaver St.
For specific Information, contact Randy Victory at 928-301-1190 or probike@cableone.net

Flagstaff’s Bike to Work Week kicks off May 15 — see all events.

Our littlest riders

DSC01031Coalition of Arizona Bicyclist’s Kathy Mills offered a class in bike safety to over 50 pre-school students of the Horizon Presbyterian Church, located in the Ahwatukee Foothills of Phoenix, Arizona. The early basics were stressed — stopping at stop signs, looking both ways, and helmet fit.

DSC01020Kathy is an LCI, a League Cycling Instructor, certified by the LAB. She’s more usually training youth and adult cyclists. Watch for more education events at www.cazbike.org/category/education/

Bike and Hike: Dead Horse Ranch State Park

Dead Horse Ranch State Park offers Saturday Mountain Bike Rides / Sunday Hikes

Ranger Randy Victory. Mountain
bike rides will include talks
on Maintenance, Bicycle Physics,
Turning/Braking, Climbing,
Descending, and Riding in Groups.

Beginning Saturday, March 26th and going on until Sunday, May 8th, Park Rangers at Dead Horse Ranch State Park (directions) in Cottonwood will offer guided mountain bike rides on Saturdays and ranger-led hikes on Sundays. The hikes & rides are free, however the regular entrance fees to the park will apply. Annual Passes will also be honored.
“Mountain Bike Basics” will take place every Saturday afternoon at 2:00, and go until 4:00, “or when everyone gets tired”, according to Park Ranger Randy Victory. “These will be beginner trail rides on the dirt, with a little instruction on the pavement.” Victory, a certified cycling instructor, will offer everything from basic riding techniques to trail etiquette.
Although the rides are oriented towards beginners, everyone is welcome to attend (minimum age is 15). “There’s always a certain amount of interaction between riders,” explains Victory. “Group rides where the beginners are supportive of each other, and more experienced riders can offer their insight are an excellent way to build skills, and have a great time doing it. The focus is on fun!” Riders will be REQUIRED to wear a helmet and complete an acknowledgment of risk form (parents must sign for riders under 18 years old). They should also bring water and make sure their bike is in good working order. Riding gloves are recommended. The rides will start at the Raptor Trailhead at the top of Roadrunner Road at the park.
“Nature Walks” will start on Sunday mornings at 9:00 am, and last for 1-2 hours. The guided hikes will meander along riparian areas or stroll through the high desert trails within the park. Hikers need to bring plenty of water, sunscreen and wear appropriate clothing; sturdy shoes, a hat. Says hike leader Ranger Margie Sanchez, “You might want to bring binoculars and a camera, too. These hikes are a great opportunity for wildlife sightings and photo ops.” Most hikes start at the Quail Loop Campground – inquire at the gate for starting points.
Anyone is welcome to show up for the hikes & rides at the park. The day use fee is $7.00, or an Annual Pass can be used. For more information, call Dead Horse Ranch State Park at 928-634-5283. You can also email Ranger Victory at rvictory@azstateparks.gov or Ranger Sanchez a msanchez@azstateparks.gov with questions.
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ADOT Bicycle and Pedestrian Program is now Active Transportation

[update: as of 2021, azbikeped.org is now activetransportation.az.gov ]

Be sure to check out the web pages of the ADOT Bicycle and Pedestrian Program, azbikeped.org . It contains an extensive array of information about bicycling (and walking, of course) in Arizona. Laws, tips, touring, maps, educational materials for young and old — it’s all there. Bicyclist advocates can find load of info in the Statewide Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan section including grant information, implementation plans.

[ update: As of 2021, Bicycling Street Smarts is now longer available from the ADOT website, but can be viewed in its entirety via this link at archive.org ] Special mention should be made of the pamphlet Arizona Bicycling Street Smarts — which explains both the laws and how to ride. It is in such great demand that supplies of the printed version, sometimes available at bikes shops, and libraries, etc. can be hard to find, but is always available on the website in its entirety.

 

LAB’s Traffic Skills 101 class – Explained

[check Arizona class schedules: cazbike.org/BikeEd]
Traffic Skills 101 is a hands-on class of effective cycling. It was originally created by John Forester and taught as a college-level class at Berkeley. Over the years, the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) has refined it and the current version is known as Traffic Skills 101. The name is more telling of the content as well as the level of detail included.
TS101 or similar classes are taught by a few organizations and individuals in Arizona. TS101 consists of four hours of classroom instruction (talk, video and powerpoint) and five hours of on-bike instruction, some of which is done in a protected parking lot and some is done in real-life traffic. This may seem like a large amount of time, but to properly cover the following subjects, it is barely enough to do them justice:
  • Bicycle and helmet fit, and why each is important.
  • Pre-ride check of your bicycle to catch problems before they spoil your ride.
  • Respect for and from other users of the roads.
  • Best lane position regarding your destination, road conditions and traffic conditions.
  • Visibility, both day and night.
  • A fine-tooth comb examination of applicable state law, and what it requires of both motorists and cyclists.
  • The pros and cons of both properly installed bike lanes and road markings that are often, and sometimes disastrously, mistaken for bike lanes.
  • Parking lot skills training for precise control of your bicycle as well as maneuvers to avoid mistakes of others.
  • Actual crash and injury data showing the contributing factors, thus giving the ability to anticipate mistakes of others, as well as what not to do yourself.
  • Knowledge of what skills to use should you need to protect yourself.
  • Tire changing and flat fixing. What tools and spare parts to bring with you.
  • Hydration and eating.
  • Best pedaling rate for endurance and how gears are used to help you in this matter.
  • Special cases, such as, railroad crossings, up and down hill rides, wet weather and cycling on multi-use paths where slow and fast cyclists, children, pedestrians and horses may be sharing the path.
  • Actual riding in traffic on a predetermined route that includes many considerations covered in the classroom. Includes many stops for rest and evaluation of conditions encountered.
  • Written test that is a review of classroom and road experience.
  • Graduation, the proof of accomplishing these objectives.
  • Finally, our mantra, over and over again: “Cyclists fare best when they act as, and are treated as, drivers of slow vehicles.”
Cycling fun increases when confidence increases. TS101 increases confidence by replacing fear with knowledge and skills. These classes are still the only nationally recognized bicycle safety classes taught by certified instructors. Most of these instructors simply have a passion for their favorite mode of transportation and sport, and desire a safe and mutually-respectful use of the roadways by cyclists and motorists alike. Every blown stop-sign, etc. by a bike rider breaks that mutual respect as does any form of disrespect of cyclists by motorists. Building that mutual respect is the way to increase everyone’s safety. That is the objective of Traffic Skills 101.
Gene Holmerud
League Cycling Instructor, #1193

LAB LCI Seminar: Late April

DATES SHIFTED

There is a train the trainer seminar to become a League Certified Instructor coming up April 23 (afternoon), 24th and 25th, 2010, at the Tempe Transportation Center, Tempe, AZ.
Please fill out the following form to gauge interest.

TS101 is pre-requisite; if you have not attended you have an opportunity to complete that on Feb 20 (or March 20 for Women only), see BikeEd for more info.