This year Bike/Walk Central Florida and Retro City Cycles are teaming up with us. We’ve designed a team T-shirt to show our love of cycling in Orlando. If you would like one, please pre-order using the form below. If we get enough pre-orders to bring the cost down, proceeds will benefit Bike/Walk Central Florida.

by Monique Donahue

Let’s face it: I’ve never been what you would call an athlete. Growing up, I lived what every clumsy kid fears most in PE class—being picked last for team activities. Every. Single. Time. It’s the kind of constant negative reinforcement that becomes a lifelong, self-fulfilling prophecy for an impressionable young girl. And so I have lived for lo these 41 years as a bona fide couch potato. Or at least I did, until my friend John Alexander started posting about his cycling efforts on Facebook.

John has his own story to tell about why he cycles, but suffice it to say that I found his efforts inspirational. I thought to myself, “If he can do it, so can I.” I knew I needed to improve my fitness and drop a few pounds, so in September 2011, I bought a bike. I rode it exactly once, and then I did what any self-respecting couch potato would do. I let it sit in the garage, untouched.

Fast forward to January 2012, when I made a serious New Year’s resolution to get fit. I set a goal for myself to pedal 1,000 miles in a year and started riding in earnest, every weekend. My friend John has been a great cheerleader in that effort, and he encouraged me to take a Cycling Savvy class. I resisted at first, with excuses like “I rode a bike as a kid, how hard can it be?” and “I only ride on the trails, why do I need traffic skills?” As time went on, however, and my distances and speeds gradually increased, even I could see that I needed to get off the sidewalk and onto the road to reach the trails. And I started to think that maybe I wanted to hook up with some beginner group rides. Those things meant negotiating with traffic, and for that I needed help.

Enter Cycling Savvy. I finally quit procrastinating and signed up for the 3-part class in April, taught by Keri Caffrey and Mighk Wilson. Imagine my surprise to learn that I had no idea what I didn’t know about cycling safely and legally on the road! The first segment of the program, a Truth and Techniques classroom session, was packed with useful information about courtesy, safety, visibility, and hazards, complete with videos shot by the instructors that demonstrate the impact of various lane positions on cyclist visibility and corresponding motorist behavior.

After that classroom session, I mustered the courage to brave Greenway Blvd in Lake Mary, for about a ¾-mile stretch from my subdivision to the Cross Seminole Trail. The first thing that struck me about that ride was how much faster it was than being on the sidewalk, since I didn’t have to slow down or stop at every cross street or negotiate space on the skinny sidewalk with pedestrians, dogs, squirrels, and oncoming cyclists. The second thing that struck me was that I had the road completely to myself for that entire stretch heading to the trail. Keri and Mighk were exactly right when they said cars travel in platoons. When you’re a motorist, you don’t see that because you are part of the pack. But on a bicycle, it’s easy to take advantage of the fact that traffic light cycles send cars through in waves. Who knew?

I was almost disappointed that day that I didn’t get to take on any cars with my newfound knowledge, but it was a good first experience in building my confidence on the road. And I had the opportunity to really put my skills to the test the following weekend when I completed the Train Your Bike and Tour of Orlando class sessions, which had been postponed due to weather delay. Those on-bike sessions in handling my bike and riding busy streets were empowering. I learned that I’m not an obstacle to traffic on my bike. I AM traffic!

Check me out being at one with traffic on Orange Ave in downtown Orlando. It’s very Zen. (Photo by Keri Caffrey)

When I began riding regularly in January, I never dreamed how much I’d come to love it in four short months. I’ve dropped 21 pounds since I started cycling (4 more than I had planned!). I’m well on my way toward my 1,000-mile goal for this year (428 miles as I write this). I’m in the process of graduating from my trusty hybrid to a more aerodynamic road bike (Orbea Aqua Dama T23—and a shout-out to the very friendly and helpful folks at Outspoken Bikes in Lake Mary). This summer when my family and I spend a week at the beach, we’re planning to tool around Gasparilla Island on rented bikes. And I’m seriously thinking about training for a metric century ride (100 km), or maybe even a full century ride (100 miles); if not this year, then most certainly that will be my cycling goal for 2013. I am currently accepting all recommendations for good novice events and training plans (or even a training partner volunteer).

I was a couch potato, but now I’m a Savvy Cyclist. I’m grateful to John Alexander (a Cycling Savvy graduate himself) for the inspiration and to Keri Caffrey and Mighk Wilson for the superbly-designed and confidence-building instruction. I can’t thank them nearly enough.

Twenty-seven years ago, after two 8-hour surgeries to remove benign tumors from my acoustic nerves, if you had told me I would ever ride a bike again I would not have believed you. The surgeries were successful but, as expected, hearing and vestibular function were significantly compromised. Swimming, skiing and cycling were out. By the time I moved to Portland, Maine in April, 2011, I was completely deaf and frequently used trekking poles or a walker to navigate our quaint sidewalks in Old Port.

Then one day in July as I was walking past Gorham Bike & Ski on Congress Street, I thought, “I wonder if they have trikes for adults…” and I went inside.

On August 6, I picked up my new Sun EZ Tadpole recumbent trike from the shop – more than a little nervous (my last bike was a Sears 3-speed circa 1972) – and more excited than a kid on Christmas Eve.

The trike is easy to ride. It is also a great vehicle for exercise and transportation, as I no longer drive a car. However, cycling in city traffic is serious business – especially for a deaf rider. My first missions were to learn how to get on and off the trike (not easy for someone with balance issues but doable if you use the brake grips strategically and there is a pole or fixed support nearby), master the gears, and – above all – ride safely.

The first few days were easy rides around my quiet neighborhood. Soon I was ready to venture further. Now I ride all over town, from West End to East End, varying my route, stopping for errands or to take few photos, generally having fun and feeling great.

However, I still had concerns about riding safely on city streets. So I was pleased to learn that CyclingSavvy would be offered here in Portland the weekend of August 27th. I contacted John Brooking, the instructor, to discuss my needs and recruited a friend to help with communication, then enrolled in the Truth and Techniques of Traffic Cycling. Because of the inherent differences between a trike and a bike, along with my communication challenges, we agreed to hold off on Train Your Bike and Tour of Portland. John and I will schedule a tutoring session for road cycling soon.*

The course was excellent in that it affirmed things I already knew, clarified things I was unsure about, and clearly explained my rights and responsibilities as a cyclist. I’ve been putting into practice all that I learned.

As a person who has mobility challenges, buying the trike and getting out every nice day to ride is simply one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself. It’s healthy, empowering and – most of all – fun.

As Jean Paul Richeter (1763-1825) wrote, “For sleep, riches and health to be truly enjoyed, they must be interrupted.” It is no exaggeration to say that riding a recumbent trike has restored vitality to my life.

Michie O’Day
Portland, ME

*Update from John Brooking: Michie wrote this shortly after her Cycling Savvy class in August 2011. As she indicated, we did follow up with a private tutoring session in September. First I took her trike for a test drive around Portland by myself for a few hours, to get a good feel for its handling and capabilities, then we spent a Saturday afternoon riding together a week or two later. Our main goal was the Casco Bay Bridge, the “big bridge”, which Michie was nervous about riding on. She brought along notepad and pen so we could stop frequently and communicate about what we had just experienced. The timing was good because there was an event in a town on the other side of the bridge that she was hoping to go to the next day, but first she had to conquer the bridge. She reported afterwards: “My ride last Sunday was great!  21 miles on nice roads and nice scenery, and the bridge crossing was easy.”

I now see Facebook updates from her all the time about how she’s out riding everywhere, from Falmouth to Scarborough! Freedom!

Truth & Techniques of Traffic Cycling (classroom session) 6-9PM on Friday, May 11.

Train Your Bike (bike handling session) 9 – 12 AM on Saturday, May 12.

Tour of Midland session 12:00-5 PM (We’ll stop for lunch at our first destination) Saturday, May 12. (completion of other two sessions is required to take this one).

The locations for the classroom, bike handling, and tour sessions are yet to be finalized.  It will be in the city of Midland, Mi, and once you’re signed up, we will contact you with the details.

Use this form to sign up for the May class.

For those wanting single sessions, or to take the course in 3-hour increments, you can sign up for Truth & Techniques or Train Your Bike. Individual sessions are $30 each. A package (all 3 sessions) can be purchased for $75.

To learn more about the course, click here.

You can go anywhere by bike! We’ll show you how.

Truth & Techniques of Traffic Cycling (classroom session) 6-9PM on Friday, May 18 at Metroplan Orlando

Train Your Bike (bike handling session) 8 – 11 AM on Saturday, May 19 at the Orlando City Hall parking garage

Tour of Orlando session will begin in Colonialtown (12:30-4 PM) Saturday, May 19 (completion of other two sessions is required to take this one).

Use this form to sign up for the May class.

For those wanting single sessions, or to take the course in 3-hour increments, you can sign up for Truth & Techniques or Train Your Bike. Individual sessions are $30 each. A package (all 3 sessions) can be purchased for $75. Package price is valid even if you take the courses on different dates.

Metroplan Scholarships are available for students and Central Florida residents with a financial need. Contact us to find out if you qualify and how it works.

To learn more about the course, click here.

You can go anywhere by bike! We’ll show you how.

This year, we hope to offer our full 3-session package in 3 different towns – Portland, South Portland, and Westbrook – as well as a few standalone “Train Your Bike” courses in between. For those who elect the full package, we will ride together through such challenge areas as the Casco Bay Bridge (and show you how to handle the ends), arterials such as Forest Avenue and perhaps outer Congress Street, a number of challenging intersections, and in the Westbrook tour, William Clarke Drive and the traffic circle at Main and Cumberland Streets. And we’ll have fun (and be safe) doing it!

Navigating Woodfords Corner as a group, July 2011

The Classes

To review, the curriculum consists of 3 sessions:

1. Train Your Bike, a skills class that takes place in a parking lot;
2. Truths and Techniques of Traffic Cycling, a classroom discussion-oriented presentation about bike laws, traffic dynamics, and problem solving strategies;
3. A City Tour, where we ride as a group through the city and stop to discuss and ride through especially challenging features.

The first two sessions may be taken individually, but both are required for the last. Find more details here.

The Schedule

May and June dates are firm, the rest are subject to change as the season progresses. Note color coding to easily identify each type of session.

Registration is now open for the May and June classes, here. Registration for subsequent classes will open as the time approaches. We are looking forward to an enjoyable summer of pedaling for fun and transportation, and we hope to meet you along the way!

A student navigates Forest Avenue inbound approaching the I-295 interchange.

Truth & Techniques of Traffic Cycling (classroom session) 6:30 – 9:30 PM Thursday, May 31, at the Center on Vandeventer in the Central West End

Train Your Bike (bike handling session) 8 – 11 AM on Saturday, June 2, on the parking lot of the Church of Latter Day Saints in the Central West End

Tour of St. Louis will begin after lunch (1 – 4:30 PM) on Saturday, June 2 (completion of other two sessions is required to take this one)

Use this form to sign up for the May/June classes

You can go anywhere by bike! We’ll show you how.

Experience cycling empowerment to act as a a confident, equal road user. You will learn strategies for safe, stress-free integrated cycling and come away with the tools to read and problem-solve any new traffic situation or road configuration.

The William Kerr Foundation is sponsoring Part 1 of CyclingSavvy at no charge for all adults. Parts 2 and 3 will be limited to 10 participants. As part of its efforts to promote the new Gateway Bike Plan, Great Rivers Greenway is providing scholarship funding for these participants.

Part 1: Truth & Techniques of Traffic Cycling

Learn the truth and techniques of traffic cycling. Through guided discussion with videos and animations, this classroom-based session familiarizes students with bicycle-specific laws, traffic dynamics and problem-solving strategies. Students discover that bicycle drivers are equal road users, with the right, ability and responsibility to control their space on public roadways.

Sponsored by the William Kerr Foundation, this session is free to all who are of driving age, but registration is required.

Part 2: Train Your Bike

This session is conducted in a parking lot. It consists of a set of progressive drills designed to increase students’ control and comfort handling their bikes in various situations. Drills include:

1. Starting, stopping  & balance
2. Understanding gearing
3. Slow balance drill (Snail Race)
4. Acceleration drill (drag race)
5. Straight-line riding
6. Turning: Cone weave
7. Turning: Follow the leader
8. Turning: Rock dodge
9. Turning: High-speed cornering
10. Turning: Snap turn
11. Quick stop

In three short fun hours, you will learn to command your bike with precision and confidence.

As part of its kickoff of the Gateway Bike Plan, Great Rivers Greenway is matching the registration fee for all participants. A $30 value, this session is available as a stand-alone class for $15.

Part 3: Tour of St. Louis*

*To participate in the Tour of St. Louis, students must have completed both “Truth & Techniques of Traffic Cycling” and “Train Your Bike” (the classroom and parking lot sessions). The Tour of St. Louis is about 10 miles long, and will proceed at a pace of 10-12 miles/hour.

Saturday, June 2, 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. (After “Train Your Bike,” participants will bike as a group to lunch at St. Louis Bread Company, and begin the Tour of St. Louis after lunch. At the end of the Tour, participants will bike as a group back to the parking lot of the Church of Latter Day Saints)

This session is an experiential tour of St. Louis roads. The course includes some of the most intimidating road features (including intersections, interchanges and merges) a cyclist might find in his or her travels. Students travel as a group, stopping to survey and discuss each exercise location. After observing the feature, discussing the traffic dynamics and the best strategy for safe and easy passage, the students ride through individually and regroup at a nearby location.

This session is designed to give you the confidence and skills to handle any situation you might encounter while riding your bicycle in the metro St. Louis area.

Great Rivers Greenway is matching the registration fee for all participants. Students who have taken the classroom and parking lot sessions may register for the Tour of St. Louis for $15.

Registration available here.

Several CyclingSavvy course opportunities will be available this spring in Central Illinois.  The courses will be given by Gary Cziko  (CSI, PhD) and Carl Stewart  (CSI).

Discover the joy of human-powered travel.

Experience cycling empowerment to act as a confident, equal road user. You will learn strategies for safe, stress-free integrated cycling and come away with the tools to read and problem-solve any new traffic situation or road configuration.

Part 1: Truth & Techniques of Traffic Cycling

There will be three separate offerings of this part of the course on April 16 in Champaign (free), April 21 in Mahomet ($10), and May 4 in Urbana ($10). See here for details and registration information.

Learn the truth and techniques of traffic cycling. Through guided discussion with videos and animations, this classroom-based session familiarizes students with bicycle-specific laws, traffic dynamics and problem-solving strategies. Students discover that bicycle drivers are equal road users, with the right, ability and responsibility to control their space on public roadways.

Part 2: Train Your Bike

Saturday, May 5, 8:30-11:30am, location TBD, Champaign-Urbana, IL

This session is conducted in a parking lot. It consists of a set of progressive drills designed to increase students’ control and comfort handling their bikes in various situations. Drills include:

1. Starting, stopping  & balance
2. Understanding gearing
3. Slow balance drill (Snail Race)
4. Acceleration drill (drag race)
5. Straight-line riding
6. Turning: Cone weave
7. Turning: Follow the leader
8. Turning: Rock dodge
9. Turning: High-speed cornering
10. Turning: Snap turn
11. Quick stop

In three short fun hours, you will learn to command your bike with precision and confidence.

This session is available as a stand-alone class for $30.

Part 3: Tour of Urbana*

Saturday, May 5, 1-4:30pm, location TBD, Urbana, IL

*Registrants must have completed the sessions “Truth & Techniques of Traffic Cycling” and “Train Your Bike” to participate in the Tour of Urbana. They also must be able to cycle up to 8 miles at an average speed of 12 mph (with frequent stops).

This session is an experiential tour of Urbana roads. The course includes some of the most intimidating road features (including intersections, interchanges, merges and railroad crossings) a cyclist might find in his or her travels. Students travel as a group, stopping to survey and discuss each exercise location. After observing the feature, discussing the traffic dynamics and the best strategy for safe and easy passage, the students ride through individually and regroup at a nearby location. This session is designed to give you the confidence and skills to handle any situation you might encounter driving your bicycle in Champaign-Urbana and similar communities.

This session is available as a stand-alone class for $30.

To register for this course, visit here.

The first CyclingSavvy course in northern Illinois will be offered May 11 and 12, 2012 in Crystal Lake, McHenry County.

Discover the joy of human-powered travel.

Experience cycling empowerment to act as a confident, equal road user. You will learn strategies for safe, stress-free integrated cycling and come away with the tools to read and problem-solve any new traffic situation or road configuration.

Through the sponsorship of the McHenry County Bicycle Advocates (www.McBicycleAdvocates.org), Part 1 of the course will be offered free to up to 100 participants. Parts 2 and 3 will be limited to 10 participants and cost $30 each.

Part 1: Truth & Techniques of Traffic Cycling

Truth & Techniques of Traffic Cycling (classroom course)
Friday, May 11, 6-9pm, Algonquin Township Offices, 3702 U.S. Highway 14, Crystal Lake, IL 60014 (use rear basement level entrance); FREE!

Learn the truth and techniques of traffic cycling. Through guided discussion with videos and animations, this classroom-based session familiarizes students with bicycle-specific laws, traffic dynamics and problem-solving strategies. Students discover that bicycle drivers are equal road users, with the right, ability and responsibility to control their space on public roadways.

This session is free to all individuals 14 years and older.

Part 2: Train Your Bike

Train Your Bike
Saturday, May 12, 8:30-11:30am, 149 S. Virginia Road, Crystal Lake, IL

This session is conducted in a parking lot. It consists of a set of progressive drills designed to increase students’ control and comfort handling their bikes in various situations. Drills include:

1. Starting, stopping  & balance
2. Understanding gearing
3. Slow balance drill (Snail Race)
4. Acceleration drill (drag race)
5. Straight-line riding
6. Turning: Cone weave
7. Turning: Follow the leader
8. Turning: Rock dodge
9. Turning: High-speed cornering
10. Turning: Snap turn
11. Quick stop

In three short fun hours, you will learn to command your bike with precision and confidence.

This session is available as a stand-alone class for $30.

Part 3: Tour of Crystal Lake*

Tour of Crystal Lake*
Saturday, May 12, 1-4:30pm, 149 S. Virginia Road, Crystal Lake, IL
*Truth & Techniques and Train Your Bike must be completed before taking the Tour of Crystal Lake)

This session is an experiential tour of area roads. The course includes some of the most intimidating road features (including intersections, interchanges, merges and railroad crossings) a cyclist might find in his or her travels. Students travel as a group, stopping to survey and discuss each exercise location. After observing the feature, discussing the traffic dynamics and the best strategy for safe and easy passage, the students ride through individually and regroup at a nearby location. This session is designed to give you the confidence and skills to handle any situation you might encounter driving your bicycle in and around Crystal Lake and similar communities.

This session is available as a stand-alone class for $30.

To register for this course, visit here.

Here’s the challenge. We’ve ridden north on Thomasville Rd. from downtown Tallahassee. Our destination is Zone 5 Cafe — the coolest bike shop ever (coffee, microwbrew and bikes)! Between us and our destination is a massive, blown-out 8-lane interchange where Thomasville Rd. meets I-10. To get there, we have to make a left turn onto Timberlane Rd. from this 8-lane monster.

Amazingly, it’s actually quite easy.

The video below shows two different ways to get over to the left turn lanes to make the left onto Timberlane. One is the traditional negotiation, lane by lane, across three lanes. The other is a single, strategic lane change just as the road expands from 4 to 8 lanes.

Negotiated Lane Change

As we entered the interchange area, we realized we would need to be turning shortly after the overpass. As the road widens from two northbound lanes to four, a bike lane also begins. The bike lane is problematic because, once we entered it, we would then have to make 4 lane changes to get set up for a left turn. So, we were keen to get away from a situation where we would be compelled to use the bike lane.

Here’s a diagram of the interchange showing our path from the right lane to the left lane.

I’ve numbered the zones and the lanes (lanes are numbered from the inside to the outside of a road). In zone 1, Thomasville expands from two thru lanes to three. Shortly after the start of zone 2, Thomasville expands again to 4 thru lanes.

Zone 2 is where we need to make the lane change. If we go any farther north, we risk not being able to make it to the left lane before our turn. We don’t want to try to change lanes in zone 3 because it is very short. It is also under the bridges. That’s an area with strong shadows, as well as the potential for disoriented drivers making last-minute shifts to get to the interstate. When we drive through there, we want to be in our destination lane with our attention focused evenly on our surroundings, not diverted backward trying to negotiate a lane change. Zone 4 is also short. If we rode through the interchange to here, we’d have been compelled to use the bike lane. From there, we’d need a clear shot across 4 thru lanes and 2 turn lanes* in order to get to the left turn lane before the Timberlane intersection.

Zone 2 is about 870ft long. It took us almost all of that to negotiate gaps in traffic to make the 3 lane changes required to get to the left lane. This is not a difficult maneuver, but it requires some skills with looking back and assessing traffic speed. It is possible to be more assertive and oblige some motorists to slow and let you in front of them, but at these speeds, motorists are not reliably cooperative. It’s more realistic to hold each lane and wait for a gap in the next.

Strategic Lane Change

Zone 5 Cafe was our staging area to do some passes through the southbound interchange. Each pass required us to loop back around and make a left at Timberlane. Having noticed the way the new lanes were formed, we used a different approach on the subsequent northbound passes. Here’s what that looks like:

On the second pass, we tracked the lane line straight as the right lane in zone 1 splits into two lanes. This eliminated one lane change, keeping us in lane #2 — now the center lane. We attempted to move from lane #2 to #1 while we were still in zone one, but decided to wait for a fast-approaching van to pass. We ended up changing lanes in the intersection, which is technically not legal, but as you can see in the video, that was our gap. Right after we crossed the intersection another platoon was closing in. Making the move where we did set us up to move directly into new #1 lane as it formed.

In the video you can see the advantage of having made this move early, when it was easy. We got stopped at the next red light and while we waited, the light collected a lot more vehicles in all the lanes. Had we been in the right lane (or the bike lane, as would have been required), we would have had all those cars between us and where we wanted to go.

There is one more short clip in the video showing the full set-up being made in zone 1 as we had intended the first time. Here’s a closer look:

In the strategic lane change we move from lane #2 to lane #1 and from there, we simply move left to the new lane #1 without having to negotiate. It doesn’t get much easier than that!

Here’s the video:

*Why the inside turn lane?

Because we are planning to make a left turn from Timberlane in a few hundred feet, we want to use the leftmost left turn lane from Thomasville onto Timberlane, then use the left lane on Timberlane. The outside turn lane leads to a lane that becomes a right-turn only lane. It also has a stub of a bike lane next to it. If we were to use the outside left turn lane, then go into the bike lane, we’d only be able to travel a few seconds there before needing to negotiate 2 lane changes. That would simply be ridiculous. No other driver would be expected to do such a thing.

Plan B Left Turn

There is an option for avoiding using the left turn lanes. I ended up doing this as a plan B the first time I rode through here. I wasn’t entirely sure where my turn was in proximity to the overpass, by the time I realized where I was turning, I didn’t have enough distance to negotiate 4 lane changes (from the bike lane).

The traffic and structure of Timberlane is not conducive to a U-turn, so my best option was to ride past Timberlane and loop through the gas station on the corner, then cross Thomasville on Timberlane.

The gas station parking lot may look innocuous from the satellite, but such places are full of unpredictable movements. It’s important to be vigilant whenever riding through a parking lot — even a small one.

When you can plan ahead, making a regular left turn from a left turn lane is much easier. It only requires abandoning oppressive far-right thinking and acting like any other driver who wants to go to the same destination. If I was driving a car through here, I would put myself in the left lane in anticipation of my turn, even if I didn’t know exactly where it was. It’s not as natural to do that on a bicycle. But it should be.

In the video with the author: Tallahassee CSI, DeWayne Carver and CSI candidate Bill Edmonds.