CyclingSavvy offers the best cycling certification program in the United States. While this program was originally created to certify instructors, there have always been those who want this knowledge for a host of other reasons. The course has been restructured to fulfill your needs, whether you intend to teach or not.
This program consists of two parts:
Part 1: Nine-week, Online CyclingSavvy Expert Certification: This is a prerequisite for instructor certification training, as well as a standalone course for advanced certification as a CyclingSavvy Expert. Nine modules will be released one week at a time. See more below.
Part 2: Three-day, In-person CyclingSavvy Instructor Training: Enrolled registrants will receive teaching assignments for a classroom section and a bike handling lesson to prepare. They will be given access to online course manuals, presentation materials and tutorial videos.
The three-day training covers presentation skills, class management, formula and techniques for creating a CyclingSavvy Road Tour, on-road group leadership skills and the specifics techniques for delivering experiential learning on the road.
Nine modules will be released one week at a time. Zoom sessions will be scheduled in conjunction with the release of each module. You’ll be able to ask questions and ensure that you understand key content.
We’re eager to hear your “why” for pursuing advanced training. In this session, we’ll also review key content from Truth & Techniques of Traffic Cycling, CyclingSavvy’s classroom session.
It’s unfortunately all too common to see cyclists riding in ways that increase their risk. These cyclists unintentionally make their bicycling more difficult for themselves, and create frustration for motorists and other road users. We’ll focus this week on how to reframe the conversation about bicycling, and engage our audience.
Safety is a product of behavior. After this session, you’ll understand how bicyclist behaviors exacerbate or mitigate crashes that are caused primarily by motorist mistakes.
The week for geeks! In this session you’ll gain an appreciation for transportation engineering, pavement markings, signs, signals and interchange designs – and how these make our lives easier as bicyclists.
Here’s where we dive into the toolkit of knowledge and strategies that set CyclingSavvy apart from its predecessors.
Discover how to maximize your use of Google Maps to analyze road configurations.
For the last three sessions, you’ll partner online with another participant to tackle various motorist-centric road configurations. During these sessions, you’ll present and receive feedback on your strategies for riding on roads that truly are barriers to bicycling – unless you’re a savvy cyclist.
The first course module will be released on April 8, two weeks before the first live session. Each subsequent module will be released the Friday before the following Thursday’s live session.
Live sessions are scheduled for Thursday evenings, April 21 through June 16. Sessions begin promptly (at 7 PM Eastern / 6 PM Central / 5 PM Mountain / 4 PM Pacific time).
April 21: Introductions and Classroom Review
April 28: The Challenge We Face
May 5: Data V. Perceptions
May 12: Definitions & Design Standards
May 19: CyclingSavvy Strategies
May 26: The Treasure Known As Google Maps
June 2, 9 & 16: Elegant Solutions to “Impossible” Problems
Thursday, July 14: Registration deadline for in-person instructor training weekend
Week of July 18: Teaching assignments sent to candidates
September 1: Video due (you will record a video of yourself teaching a short segment of the course, and receive feedback on this via a one-on-one coaching call with CyclingSavvy founder Keri Caffrey)
September 5-23: Coaching sessions
October 7, 8 and 9: Instructor Training Weekend in St. Louis
This program is not affiliated with the League of American Bicyclists. Instructor qualifications are not transferable, nor is it necessary for one to be a League Cycling Instructor (LCI) to become a CyclingSavvy Instructor (CSI).
To be eligible to become a CyclingSavvy Instructor (CSI), a candidate must take the basic CyclingSavvy course. This should be completed a minimum of two months before a CSI training. Upon expressing an interest in becoming an instructor, candidates are assessed by their basic course instructors. Favorably assessed candidates will receive an invitation to participate in the next training.
The assessment seeks feedback on the following:
1) Open-minded and willing to learn and participate in the CyclingSavvy class. (A CSI believes s/he always has more to learn… we learn from each other, from our students, from our successes and our mistakes, we constantly refine and improve ourselves as cyclists and as teachers.)
2) Understands and embraces the teaching methodology of CyclingSavvy (removing belief barriers and freeing students from the limitations of far-right mentality).
3) Understands and embraces the traffic cycling techniques we teach (lane control, strategic road positioning, making lane changes early, active communication, control & release, etc.).
4) Has good situational awareness. (Pays attention and doesn’t engage in distracting behavior).
5) Shows enthusiasm for empowering and celebrating the success of others. (A principle of our program is that we set people up for success. We don’t test people or pressure them to perform. We work to ensure their success, and most importantly, that they have a good experience in the class.)
6) Demonstrates the ability to follow directions. (To give directions, you need to be able to follow directions.)
7) Ability to communicate clearly and succinctly. (This is an essential skill. CSIs are responsible for sending students into complex road features and traffic conditions; they must be able to communicate instructions clearly and succinctly. Much of the CSI training involves developing and refining strategic communication of concepts and instructions.)
At the training workshop, participants receive a kit which includes:
Graduates of the in-person training have access to ongoing support through this website. This includes tutorials, marketing resources and webinars. Instructors may buy additional polos on the site.
The American Bicycling Education Association (ABEA) also provides regular updates to presentation materials (new animations, high res videos, new content slides).
Liability insurance is provided for active instructors in the United States and Canada.
CyclingSavvy is a program of the American Bicycling Education Association. Our mission is to provide programs and resources for the education of bicyclists as drivers of vehicles, and bicycling-related education for traffic engineers, transportation planners, law enforcement professionals, educators, and the general public.
