- Do you want to get more enjoyment from your bicycle?
- Would you like to learn how to repair it?
- Are you timid about riding on the roads, with all the traffic?
Help is at hand! Take the Traffic Skills 101 course offered through the Lancaster Bicycle Club. This course will give you the basics you need to more fully enjoy your bicycle. You'll get hands-on practice under the guidance of a highly experienced Instructor, specially trained and certified by the League of American Bicyclists.
Here is the information you'll need to decide if you would like to enroll in LBC's bicycling course.
For a full description of the Smart Cycling program, please visit LAB's website www.bikeleague.org.
When: The Spring 2011 course includes 3 classes: Wed. April 13th from 6:30-9:30PM, Sat. April 16th and Sat. April 30th from 9AM to 12:30PM both days.
Where: Carriage House behind Stauffer Mansion, 1241 Lititz Pike, Lancaster (Manheim Twp.). This is about 3/4 mile south of US 30 on PA 501/US 222.
Cost: $45 for Manheim Twp. residents, $50 for non-residents, SR (over 60)- $40 [3 classes]. Minimum age 16, but children 14-16 accepted if enrolled with an adult guardian. Pre-registration is required. Call Manheim Twp. Parks & Rec. at (717) 290-7180, Ext. 100 for an application or download it from www.manheimtownship.org. Click on the Parks & Rec link on the menu on the left side of the Township's home page, and then click on the current activities brochure, which is a pdf file.
Lancaster Bicycle Club members who enroll and attend all three sessions receive a full refund of their tuition from the Club after the course is completed. To join LBC, go to www.lancasterbikeclub.org
Instructor: Bill Hoffman, LCI #33; billhoffman1@verizon.net or (717) 560-3636.
Equipment required: your bicycle and helmet. Also recommended are a bike-mounted water bottle and pump, and spare inner tube and patch kit. You'll find out what tools you'll need during the course, but you probably already have some of them around the house. Bring your bike and helmet to each class.
Why you should take the course: Whether you're a beginner or not, there is a lot to learn in TS 101. Everyone who takes it leaves at a higher skill level than when they entered. TS 101 may well be different than what you were expecting. Its primary emphasis is on vehicular-style cycling, which has been proven to be the safest and most efficient way to ride.
You may be wondering-why 10 hours to learn bicycling when I already know how to ride? Several reasons:
**We teach bicycle driving, not riding. There's a big difference. Much of the training you may have previously gotten, while well intended, is actually misguided, or in some cases, just plain wrong. Unlearning old, bad, habits usually takes longer than learning new ones from the start.
**The emphasis is on hands-on learning and supervised practice, and that takes time. You might eventually figure out all these things on your own, but it'll take you much longer and you might make some costly mistakes in the process. Even if you do pick up the skills on your own, you won't know if you're performing them properly without an experienced instructor observing and coaching you. You might actually find yourself wishing for more class hours.
**The cost of the course is a real bargain. Where else can you get professional training for less than $4 an hour? Compare this cost to what you spent on your bike, on just your helmet, or on a fancy cycling jersey. The helmet and jersey will eventually have to be replaced, but the skills you learned will stay with you for as long as you remain a cyclist.
If the above information does not answer all your questions, please use the form below to request additional information.
