Becoming a League Cycling Instructor and Why You Should Be One
Photo credit: Shane MacRhodesLast weekend, SVBC Education Programs Coordinator Ann Jasper learned how to teach others about bicycle safety through the League Cycling Instructor seminar – an intense, 3-day workshop offered by the League of American Bicyclists. Check out Ann’s recap of the workshop below, and why you may want to take the workshop yourself.“You'll never know everything about anything, especially something you love.” Of all the great Julia Child quips, this is my favorite. It perfectly describes my connection with bicycling. I feel like I learn something new each day that furthers my love of bikes, whether it’s mechanical or spiritual.Last weekend, I learned how to teach others about bicycle safety through the League Cycling Instructor seminar – an intense, 3-day workshop offered by the League of American Bicyclists, preceded by a test with just under 100 questions. A score of at least 85% is required in order to take the class. I thought this was the most challenging part of the process, until I arrived for the first day of the seminar.The in-class portion was like going through Driver’s Ed, but without the high school pranks. We covered 16 topics, including lane positioning, group riding principles, bicycle gear, and riding in the rain. Instead of being lectured, we learned by teaching the concepts to each other and offering feedback after each presentation.I presented the “Principles of Traffic Law.” I had a slick slideshow ready to dazzle, but apparently my particular version of PowerPoint isn’t open for business on the weekend. Luckily, my inner MacGyver resourcefulness kicked in. I found an old flip chart in the back of the room, drew my diagrams, and made it through my presentation. I thought that this had to be the most challenging part of the course, until we went outside to teach emergency maneuvers.The class split into four groups, with each group creating a course to cover one of the four emergency drills – avoidance weave, rock dodge, quick turn, and quick stop. Our group set up the quick stop course. Actually, we set it up a couple of times, since the first try placed course riders too close to parking curbs that we hadn’t previously noticed. So, the first thing we learned is that parking lots are full of obstacles!Next, we took turns teaching the skill to the group through a brief description of the maneuver, followed by a demonstration. It was interesting to see how we were all noticeably more anxious about performing a drill when we taught it, as opposed to going through it as a student.This proved true during the group ride, too – it’s easier to follow than to lead. We all took turns leading portions of the ride, which crossed railroad tracks, used multi-use trails, and traveled along the very busy Folsom Road.As the day turned to evening, we went out on a night ride. There were as many different styles of bike light setups as there were students in the seminar, and it was a great chance to see what happens when lights are too dim, or too bright.At the end of the seminar, I felt like I gained a deeper understanding of the different ways to teach people about bicycling. I encourage you to attend an LCI seminar and become a League Cycling Instructor if you are interested in teaching others about bicycling safety. And, let us know if you complete the program – SVBC does hire LCI’s from time to time for various cycling workshops. We’d love to have you be a part of our mission to promote bicycling!
