I learned to ride a bike when I was 4 years old. My parents say they just watched as I picked up this kids’ bike, got on it determined to ride, and within no time was doing it. During those early years my bike was part of how I played and got around. My favorite bike was called “The Chopper.” Of course we wore no helmets back then, and we popped wheelies and tore around our neighborhood like there was no tomorrow. In fourth grade I broke my arm riding a bike too big for me when I hit a gravel patch. Once I hit junior high my bike was only for function, not for fun. And when I starting driving a car, I don’t remember biking much at all. After college it seemed that bike rides were more about exercise and riding trails. It wasn’t until I was in my 40s that I even thought about riding my bike to work and using it more in traffic.

Honestly, when I signed up, I thought a three-part course on bicycling was a bit over the top. Come on, how many tips on bicycling could there be?

Along the way, I never got any formal training on bicycle safety. I picked up the idea of using hand signals as being a good idea, and always wore a helmet. I rode my bike without regard to obeying any kind of traffic laws. In fact, I thought it was a “bonus” to be on a bike, because on my bike I didn’t have to wait at red lights, and could take routes that I couldn’t in my car (including the sidewalk). I had been taught that keeping to the side of the road as far as possible was my place in traffic and on the street. I basically relegated my status as a driver of a vehicle on the road to that of a second-class citizen: Do whatever you need to do to protect yourself, drive defensively…or else for sure you’ll get run over!!

I had heard about CyclingSavvy through Karen Karabell, who not only is an instructor but a dear friend. I have been wildly impressed with her bicycling as primary transportation for decades and was aware that she had begun embracing the CyclingSavvy program. But honestly, when I signed up, I thought a three-part course on bicycling was a bit over the top. Come on, how many tips on bicycling could there be?

Right after our first “feature” I knew I was doing something radically different on my bike on the road. It seemed so incredibly foreign. I was sure I would be pissing motorists off left and right as I “blocked” their right to the road.

First I attended the classroom session, “Truth & Techniques of Traffic Cycling”. The evening was a feast of examples, statistics and videos of bicycle safety and traffic cycling. I was shocked how fast three hours flew by. I had no idea there was that much to discuss about how to ride a bike in traffic!

A couple of days later I pedaled early one morning into the designated parking lot for “Train Your Bike”, the parking lot skills session. Since everyone was at different levels in riding skills, I found this part to go slow, but was a lot of fun. And I enjoyed learning alongside my mom, who is in her 70s and still riding her bike for exercise and pleasure.

Around noon the group going on the “Tour of St. Louis” was rounded up and I was paired with a riding buddy. Pretty soon we took off, heading to our designated first stop for lunch. Here is a description of what we were going to do after lunch:

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.

Immediately I knew I was in for a fun but challenging afternoon. Little did I know that this tour would transform my whole outlook, approach and love for biking! Right after our first “feature” I knew I was doing something radically different on my bike on the road. It seemed so incredibly foreign. I was sure I would be pissing motorists off left and right as I “blocked” their right to the road.

By our third feature I was still hesitating on this new concept of cycling in traffic. Others began voicing how great it felt. One woman said she was “drinking the KoolAid” – meaning that she had fully accepted the message.

I have found a confidence, joy and freedom in bicycling that never would have happened without taking and appreciating the CyclingSavvy program.

So what is the message? The message is about SAFETY. The message is about CLAIMING your rightful place on the road. The message is about being CONFIDENT. The message is about being RESPECTFUL for all drivers. The message is about doing the right thing! It’s about understanding that you are driving a vehicle, and must obey all rules and laws for street traffic. It’s about performing on the road just as you would as a motorist. With that comes a feeling of safety, for you and for the other drivers on the street. No one wants to get hit, and no one wants to hit you! What better way of ensuring this than making sure you are clearly seen on the road and other drivers know what to expect!

Beth Gellman, St. Louis

These thoughts didn’t come to me during or right after the workshop. They unfolded in the weeks after I had begun putting the CyclingSavvy principles into practice when riding my bike in traffic. I have found a confidence, joy and freedom in bicycling that never would have happened without taking and appreciating the CyclingSavvy program. I highly recommend anyone who rides a bike, young and old, to get on board with CyclingSavvy. It’s never too late to teach an old dog new tricks. And that goes for law enforcement too! They especially could benefit from the program. Happy and safe cycling! Namaste.

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.