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Bike for Life is a relatively new Bike North initiative, offering professional coaching and advice. At present we are offering "Essential Skills" which is a course for those who can already ride a bike, but wish to improve their cycling skills and confidence.

Bike for Life "Essential Skills" is a course with four sessions that focuses on practical and safe bike riding skills increasing the confidence of people to be able ride around a cycle path in the park, ride around their local neighbourhood area or further a field, and to enjoy the versatile activity cycling can be.

The Bike for Life course is made up of:

• Bike Skills Day
• Two Buddy Rides - of 1-2 hours held over the weekends (and possibly mid week) following the skills day -with a coach focusing on using the cycling skills on a short recreational ride.

A group of participants and coaches from one of the courses

So what happens on the Bike Skills Day ?

You'll meet 15-20 other like minded people doing the Bike for Life course and a number of the Bike North coaches.

The day has a few different elements and all have a practical emphasis on increasing confidence in riding.

There are sessions covering:

• safety and fit checks for your bike and helmet. After a bit of instruction you'll be looking over your bike and making any fit or safety adjustments. Basic bike maintenance equipment like bike pumps will be available on the course. (Tip the correct pressure in your bike tyres will make pedalling easier.)
• An initial skills assessment - this is a short course set up with traffic cones and markers in a blocked off car park or netball courts area. The basic skills will be explained and demonstrated by the coaches, and then the participants have a go. This helps to determine which skills different participants may need to focus on.

The Bike Skills Day includes - basic bike maintenance focusing on - changing / repairing a flat tyre and looking after your bike. The flat tyre session is hands on so everyone will get a go at - removing a wheel, removing and patching an inner tube and pumping up a tyre.

Doing the bike check

A little more air in that tyre

Checking the tubes

The next session sees small groups of 2 to 3 riders of similar skill level working with a coach on a range of different skills that have a direct translation to recreational cycling

• manoeuvring on the bike around objects (think of passing a pedestrian or a bollard on a cycle path.) and corners.
• One handed riding (think signal turning left / right or reaching for a water bottle).
• Slow riding -(think riding for a short distance behind a pedestrian before overtaking, or turning tighter corners)
• Braking and stopping on the flat and down a hill.

Some time will be spent focusing on the movements that make starting, braking and stopping a safe and elegant glide and also riding in a straight line. Depending on different participant's skills using gears riding up small hills may be practised.

The locations for the Skills Day have been chosen because they are adjacent to local cycle paths. This allows some time to practice combining the skills learned on the local cycle paths. These skills include looking ahead, anticipating the terrain or activity of others and making adjustment in manoeuvring the bike, using gears and/or brakes, pedalling pace and strength etc.

On the day you will be signed up for the buddy rides which are offered at a number of times over the following weekends, and possibly mid week.

Toward the end of the day there is a question and answer session about cycling - places to ride, basic bike equipment and clothing, road rules for cyclists, types of riding, - recreational, commuting, fitness, utility (shopping and local trips) - touring and cycling holidays what ever else participants would like to ask.

What are Bike for Life Buddy Rides

These are bike rides of 1-3 riders with a coach - and is all about putting your cycling skills into practice. They will also cover cycling etiquette. The rides will also use the real cycling environment to practice particular skills like riding through bollards, riding smoothly over curb ramps when moving from cycle path to road.

Buddy Ride 1 This ride focuses on cycling in lower stress environments such as cycle paths. The distance and pace will be dictated by the participants - a ride of 5-6km up to 10km for riders with more confidence and fitness.

Buddy Ride 2 This ride builds on the other sessions but adds in riding on the road - this may be on cycling routes on quiet back streets. The routes chosen also will include using gears on small hills. The pace and distance will be matched to the riders in the group and maybe an increase on the first buddy ride. For those with more confidence - the route may include more on-road riding - safely using roundabouts and roads with cycle lanes.

For riders who need more practice before doing a Bike North easy graded ride there is the option of arranging additional buddy rides. Discuss this with your coach.

Bike North Easy Rides

A Bike North easy ride at Olympic Park

These are social rides of approximately 25 km and average 15/16km per hour over the ride with some catch-up stops and a longer coffee shop stop. Checkout the Bike North Rides Calendar for detail and description of the different easy graded rides. Contact the Ride Leader of the ride you intend to join and let them know you have come from the Bike for Life course.

Practising your skills and increasing bike fitness.

For those who need to increase their basic fitness on the bike there is nothing better that getting out and riding, so we encourage participants to practice on their own or with friend who can already ride confidently. Once you have finished the buddy rides - you may want to do a couple of rides of about 15 km in distance around cycle friendly places like Sydney Olympic Park/Centennial Park/ Parramatta Park, before going on a Bike North easy ride of 25km. Alternatively you could do some regular shorter rides around your local streets/cycle paths.

Cycle fitness includes a number of things and is not just about speed of riding. For beginner cyclists - cycle fitness is more about being able to physically tolerate being on a bike for an hour or two (including getting your bottom used to your bike seat and your hands/wrists used to the hanging on to the handlebar) and maintaining concentration when you are getting fatigued (eg paying attention to smooth stopping and starting towards the end of the ride not just the beginning).

Further information

Please email bike4life@bikenorth.org.au

OR Call or SMS the Bike 4 Life information line : 0420 512 214 If no-one answers please leave voicemail so we can get back to you!

Last update: 15/07/2010 — Copyright © 2005

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