Community

Riding a bike in traffic is safe and easy, if you know how to do it. While most cyclists have a basic understanding of layers of safety (right) 1, 2 and 5, the majority are unfamiliar with layers 3 and 4. Taking a Road I class is the best way for riders to learn these skills.

The course covers:

Bicycle safety checks
Bike fit
Basic bike components and how they work
Fixing a flat
Crash statistics — the common causes of crashes and how to avoid them
Vehicular cycling skills — the best practices of safe cycling
bike-handling skills and crash avoidance techniques — scan, rock-dodge, quick stop and instant turn

A student manual is included. Course schedules TBA.

Road I is a great way to get started, or an opportunity to increase your cycling skills and confidence!

Custom Workshops

Want to promote bike commuting in your business, or cycling safety in your community center? League cycling instructors can offer custom cycling education for community organizations, schools and businesses.

Alternative Transportation Education

Curriculum developed by Mighk Wilson for the Florida Bicycle Association and the Florida Safety Council includes:

Bus routes and schedules
Car & van pool programs
Alternative vehicles
Transportation cycling

This course can be adapted for employers who wish to promote transportation alternatives.

Bike Rodeos

Improve your bike handling skills and have fun! Local LCIs are aiming to partner with community organizations to offer bike rodeos for adult cyclists. Layer 1 skills will benefit recreational trail riders as well as road riders. Rodeo schedules TBA.

The Five Layers of Bicycling Safety

Enhanced by Mighk Wilson,
Metroplan Orlando Bike Ped Coordinator Cycling Instructor with the League of American Bicyclists

Layer 1: Control Your Bicycle (Don’t fall or collide with others)

If you can skillfully control your bike by starting, stopping, and turning properly, you will not fall down all by yourself or run into others. Do this and you cut out about half of your injury risk. To ride in groups, a cyclist must have good bike handling skills.

Layer 2: Follow the Rules (Don’t cause traffic accidents)

Follow traffic laws, obey signs and signals, use headlights and taillights at night, and use the correct lanes for turns and through movements and you won’t cause a collision with a motorist. About half of cyclist/motorist crashes are caused by cyclists who violate the basic rules of the road. But you don’t do that, right? Combine Layers 1 and 2 and you cut about 75% of your injury risk.

Layer 3: Lane Positioning (Discourage other driver’s mistakes)

Knowing when to use the full lane or to share a lane is something few cyclists fully understand. Your position in a lane is the best way to make yourself conspicuous, to tell drivers what you are doing, and to discourage them from making unsafe movements. Many of these effective lane positioning principles have been forgotten by the modern cycling community, so they may be contrary to what you’ve been taught! Combine Layers 1, 2 and 3 and you cut out about 99% of all potential crashes.

Layer 4: Hazard Avoidance (Avoid the other driver’s mistakes)

There are evasive maneuvers you should know that can help you avoid major motorist mistakes or dodge obstacles. Knowing how to stop and turn quickly helps you avoid motorist mistakes that aren’t discouraged by lane positioning. These skills are not instinctive and must be taught.

Layer 5: Passive Safety (Protection when all else fails)

This is actually the least effective layer. Helmets and gloves protect your most vulnerable body parts as a last resort in case of the very rare failure of Layers 1 through 4, but they do nothing to help you avoid crashes.