Cycle Savvy Class Report
Experiential Learning: The class examines the Ivanhoe interchange and discusses strategy for riding through it easily and safely.
Mighk holding class
Saturday I completed a bike handling class put on by Keri Caffrey and Mighk Wilson. The class is a prototype for one that Keri and Mighk are planning to take live in the near future. When it does become available, grab the first slot you can, because it will change the way to think about bike riding and open up new possibilities for you and your bike.
Most bike riders, myself included, tend to cling to the side of roads, take the sidewalks a lot, and breathe a sigh of relief when we get to a trail. We think of our bike wheels as bull’s-eyes for errant motorists and our heads cricket balls for extra long rearview mirrors. If we can get past the fear of physical damage, there’s always the nagging feeling if you hold some motorist up they will chew you a new you-know-what with seldom heard verbal abuse.
What you will learn during Keri and Mighk’s course is that there is no reason to act like a shrinking violet on the road, and in fact placing yourself in control of each situation is safer and a lot more fun. Some of the content of this course has been made available through CommuteOrlando.com, but there’s nothing like having someone tell you, show you, and then guide you through, to get all the parts of your body working to actually carry out the action.
Bill taking a turn at speed
The full course consists of three, 3 hour sessions:
- Classroom – where laws, traffic dynamics and strategies are discussed. Example here.
- Parking lot – bike control techniques are learned and practiced
- Orlando tour – where riders get to put into practice all they’ve learned
We did class on Wednesday night, and the last two sessions back-to-back on Saturday. The two sessions made for a long day but the emersion and camaraderie kept us going to the end. Riding all around Orlando with a great group of riders and on a beautiful day was great fun, and the learning that went along with it was icing on the cake.
Our group on Orange Avenue
There were nine of us in the class and with two instructors we got plenty of individual attention with all questions answered. Future classes will be 10 to 12 students with two instructors. Keri and Mighk call their venture Florida Cycling Academy and plan to offer the course through the Florida Safety Council for individuals and directly to groups. Keri has posted a quick outline of the course here. They’re thinking of calling the course Cycle Savvy, a name I heartily endorse as I can attest that I got a lot of savvy out of it.
I’m going to ride more and practice the techniques and strategies I’ve learned. Even though I still might occasionally use the trails and a sidewalk or two if it means saving time. Hey, that’s one of the advantages of riding a bike!
Bill: bad links …
Classroom … Example here.
outline of the course
Congrats on taking the class.
Links are OK now.
Bill, I was like you. Took the knowledge from online and what was made available here at CO. It truly does make a difference to read how its done, see how its done, and then do it yourself. Instant gratification and what a amazing confidence builder!
I do hope more bicycle drivers get to take this opportunity to better themselves, be more confident on the roads, and increase their riding enjoyment.
Ride On!
In the future expect to see Cycl-ING Savvy, not Cycle-Savvy. The domain name for CycleSavvy.com is taken (check it out for a chuckle).
Hmm… Methinks a cybercriminal saw your blog, registers the domain CycleSavvy.com, and uses it for making a phony website… okay, that domain and the logo is kind of misleading. Better register your…wait a minute. I went to cyclingsavvy.com and it looks like a GoDaddy website with a domain not used but parked…
As an on-topic note, I really don’t need this course since I already have the copy of Florida Bicycle Street Smarts and Florida Bicycle Law Enforcement Guide and I read most of it.
Yes, FBA has purchased CyclingSavvy.com and CyclingSavvy.org
Even though I’ve taken TS101 and also taken the LCI training seminar, all three grueling days of it, I’d enjoy to take this course, because I’m sure I’d learn something new. I’ve read both the Street Smarts and the FBLEG, but there’s nothing like hands-on experiences.
It’s also a heck of a lot more fun to be with real people, especially bicycling people!
My wife just informed me that she was listening today to some Orlando radio station, 104.1 on the FM dial, perhaps. Some “bucket-head” character? I’m not much of a radio listener, so this is third-hand information.
Apparently one of the principals at the radio station or on this particular show is considering to participate in an MS 150 ride and wants pointers on riding. My wife interpreted the discussion from a cycling safety frame of reference, having completed the TS101 class.
Perhaps this new approach to cycling education would benefit the radio personality and give the activity/class some useful exposure?
The last time I did an MS150 ride, it looked like all of the participants could benefit from it.
Yeah, but how am I going to get to class using the Lynx bus transportation if I don’t have the balancing skills to ride my bike (I’ve bent my back wheel after I fall to the ground when trying to balance my bike in my apartment complex that has a very small, short hill; it’s still ride-able, though)?
If Fred does take the class, I’d be very interested in the “compare/contrast” with Traffic 101. Here, since I took it, the classroom lecture went to online study which is probably best.
Fred (that’s me) probably won’t take the class, since it’s a long bike ride to Orlando-town and I do everything I can to avoid using the exploding dino-fueled vehicles.
There are some darn good resources online, as you suggest. Of course, one of them is right here!
Fred:
Save your exploding dino-fuel for the trip to do the instructor training. We know you’ll make an excellent instructor!
I’m looking forward to seeing this go live! I had wanted take TS 101, but the closest offering (to the best of my knowledge) was in Lake Mary. Living car-free on the SW side of Orlando, I have yet to motivate myself to do it. I have learned and grown a great deal with the help from resources such as this website. Still, there’s plenty left to learn by getting “hands on”.