Rider Training - Traffic Skills
Location
Ohio City Bicycle Co-op
1840 Columbus Road
Cleveland Ohio 44113
This class is for everyone, but especially for new riders. This a new offering for CTC and we will try to offer this class
one time per year.
This class usually costs $25, but is offered for $10 to
2012 CTC members as a club member benefit.
You must register on the CTC website online. The class is limited to the first 15 that register.
This three hour class covers the basics of what everyone needs to know to be able to ride safely and comfortably in traffic. The class includes discussion of handling skills, traffic law for cyclists, and causes of accidents; and a short ride to look at different traffic situations in practice.
The class will be held for CTC members on April 28h and is held at OCBC. Meet at 8:45am (
class starts promptly at 9am) and will finish at noon. Students should bring their bike (lock it in the rack out front!) and helmet, and should have done the paperwork stuff below.
When you arrive help yourself to coffee and snacks, etc. The first few minutes will be spent sharing bike crash stories, then your will learn the "Seven Layers of Safety".
Next you will learn about performing a safety check on your bicycle. At 10:30 you will get some hands-on experience with bike-handling... then take a ride to practice some of the things we have talked about.
Before we ride, everyone will sign and furnish an emergency phone number on our ride roster; students under 14 must be accompanied by an adult student who is a legal guardian, or designated by them on a signed
parental release form. Students under 18 must have a signed parental release form.
Before you come...
Students should have their bikes, helmets and locks ready to go (loaner bikes are available-- please
email OCBC or call Jim Sheehan (216 830 2667) before class if you need one).
You must have a helmet to ride in this class. OCBC has loaner helmets, or some for sale ($20), if you don't have one. Wear shoes and clothes that are comfortable, or that you ride in most often (but no sandals, saggy pants, or hairstyles that will make helmet fit difficult). If you regularly wear cleated shoes with "clip-in" pedals, that's fine, but know that you will be un-cliping a lot.
Bring any medication you need (such as an asthma inhaler) regularly or in an emergency.
It will save lots of time if you safety-check your bike before the class, following this easy safety check: if your bike doesn't pass, it may be easy to fix before the ride, or we can give you a loaner, but please contact us with any equipment questions before class.
You will get much more out of this class if you can look at the Enjoy the Ride video, and at least skim the other info on this League of American Bicyclists page.
You will receive you a paper copy of Ohio Bicycling Street Smarts for your future reference, but you should look at the link to this excellent booklet first, to fully prepare for class.