There’s still space for a few more trainees in the upcoming LCI training session in Blacksburg. This training is not offered frequently, so if you’re anywhere within driving distance of Blacksburg — which includes most of Virginia, DC, West Virginia, and North Carolina — don’t miss this opportunity to become a League Certified Instructor.
The prerequisite for LCI training is that you must already have taken the Road 1 course. You must also be Bikeleague member. If you’re not already a member, or have just joined, please contact Sharon Thorne at the Bikeleague for help with your registration.
This course is being offered by the YMCA at Virignia Tech, with support from the New River Valley Bicycle Association. Please register and pay at the VT YMCA website (scroll down the page). For further information, contact Beth Lohman of the New River Valley Bicycle Association, or Abigail Convery at the VT YMCA.
It’s a little more effort to register at this last moment, and make time to take this course. But don’t let this opportunity pass you by!
Three Northern Virginia adult education programs are separately
sponsoring three cycling skills and bicycle maintenance courses taught
by Allen Muchnick, a nationally certified League of American Bicyclists
(LAB) Cycling Instructor. Except as noted otherwise, all classes meet
on weekday evenings from 6:30-9:30 PM.
The three courses are (see longer descriptions, fees, dates, and
locations below): [click to continue...]
The YMCA at Virginia Tech is offering the Bikeleague’s Road 1 and League Certified Instructor (LCI) training courses in Blacksburg, with an eye toward creating a pool of local instructors. Road 1 is a prerequisite for the LCI training course, so both are being offered. The Road 1 course will take place Friday evening and all day Saturday, Oct. 17-18, and the LCI training session the weekend of Nov. 7-9, Friday evening through Sunday. Details and registration are available at the VT YMCA website.
To help potential instructor trainees clear the cost hurdle, the New River Valley Bicycle Association is offering $100 reimbursements to the first 7 of its members who complete the LCI training and licensing, and promise to teach at least one BikeEd course a year for the next 2 years.
For further information, please contact Aliana Havrilla from the VT YMCA, or Beth Lohman from the NRVBA.
For 2008, the Governor’s Conference on Greenways, Blueways, and Trails, the 54th annual Virginia Recreation and Park Society Conference, and the 10th annual BikeWalk Virginia Conference will be merged into one event October 4-7 in Richmond. It will be the largest conference ever held in Virginia focusing on outdoor recreation, trails, and non-motorized transportation. Conference details are available at the BikeWalk Virginia website.
VBF urges all bike advocates to attend, but mostly, to encourage your local officials and staff to attend — especially those from your regional (MPO) planning authorities. There is no better opportunity to network with people from state agencies like DCR and VDOT, to gain knowledge about best practices, and learn how to move your local projects forward.
Three Northern Virginia adult education programs are separately sponsoring five cycling skills and bicycle maintenance courses taught by Allen Muchnick, a nationally certified League of American Bicyclists (LAB) Cycling Instructor. All classes meet on weekday evenings from 6:30-9:30 PM.
The five courses are (see longer descriptions, fees, dates, and locations below):
Bicycling 101, a 3-hour discussion of bicycling basics for new and intermediate riders.
Cycling with Confidence (LAB Road-1), the essential, comprehensive, and very practical 9-hour cycling skills course for *all* bicyclists;
Proficient Cycling (LAB Road-2), 9 hours of advanced cycling and mechanical skills for Road-1 graduates;
Bicycle Maintenance & Repair, a 3-hour lecture and demonstration; and
Bicycle Mechanics Workshop, a 3-hour hands-on sequel to any course listed above.
To register, contact the local course sponsor at least one week in advance: [click to continue...]
“Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles.” –John Forrester
This video by Brian D’Souza and Dan Gutierrez shows how, and why:
The discussion following this video on YouTube is well worth reading too, as it covers both California and Virginia law about lane position.
Update: if you’d like to learn to ride confidently and safely in traffic, like the cyclists in this video, and you live in northern Virginia or the District, consider Allen Muchnick’s summer 2008 bike safety classes.
As veteran bike advocate John Forrester said, “Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles.” Accident statistics reflect this, as more bike accidents happen when cyclists act as “pedestrians on wheels” — riding against traffic, on sidewalks, etc.
An article in North Carolina’s Independent Weekly explains the concept of bicycle driving better than most, and illustrates the value of bicycle driver training. With the aid of League Cycling Instructor Bruce Rosar, writer Bob Geary returns to cycling in downtown Raleigh after a 44 year hiatus. Some of the things Bob learns are:
Obey stop signs, yield signs and red lights.
Ride with the traffic.
Take the lane for yourself—the travel lane—when you’re comfortable doing so, especially when you’re keeping up with traffic.
If the lane is wide enough, and you’re comfortable “sharing” it, move to the right side of it and let cars come alongside in the same lane.
The general rule is, slower traffic stays on the right. However, if there isn’t room to the right—a narrow lane with no shoulder, for example, or not much of one—and it would be unsafe to go there, don’t. Stay in your lane.
Also in general, the safest position when taking the lane is the “primary” position, which is in the middle of it, where you’re the most visible to cars coming from behind.
Why do we not need bike lanes in our cities? Read the article to find out.
There are still a few openings in my first 2008 League of American Bicyclists Road-1 cycling skills course in Arlington. This nine-hour course (listed as “Cycling with Confidence”) significantly benefits *all* bicyclists and will meet on three consecutive Mondays (April 14, 21, and 28) at the Arlington Career Center (816 S Walter Reed Dr) from 6:30-9:30 PM.
Taking Road-1 will make you safer, faster, and much more comfortable in traffic and provides a solid foundation for future learning and development by all bicyclists. About half of the instruction is on-bike, and–contrary to the published course description–a sound bike and helmet are needed at all three class sessions because we typically ride during the first two hours of each session.
After a crash in 2001 that derailed his racing career, Italian ex-pro Fred Morini has found a new career as a global ambassador for cycling. While visiting a friend in Wytheville, he is touring area schools to get kids turned on to cycling, and helping to start programs to get kids (and adults) on bikes. Along with Andy Kegley of HOPE (Helping Overcome Poverty’s Existence) Morini has applied for a grant from the Wythe-Bland Community Foundation to purchase bikes, helmets, jerseys, and other equipment for after-school cycling programs. To generate interest among adult cyclists in the area, he will be leading a series of training rides leading up to the Big Walker Century, which he will also participate in.
Three Northern Virginia adult education programs are
separately sponsoring four different cycling skills
and bicycle maintenance classes taught by Allen
Muchnick, a nationally certified League of American
Bicyclists (LAB) Cycling Instructor. Except as noted,
all classes will meet on weekday evenings from
6:30-9:30 PM.
THE FOUR COURSES ARE (see longer descriptions, fees,
dates, and locations below): [click to continue...]
