Veteran vouches for Smart Cycling class

We learn to bicycle when we’re young. No license is required. But it’s not just kid stuff, as you can learn in one of the League of American Bicyclists’ classes being offered in Spokane.

As Spokane cyclist Cindy Green put it, “Even after 4,000 miles of bike touring and three years of bike commuting in Washington, D.C., I learned so much in this class I became an instructor.”

She’s referring to the “Smart Cycling: Traffic Skills 101” class taught for years in this region by local cycling guru Eileen Hyatt. Green and Erika Henry of Spokane Regional Health District will be teaching the classes in addition to Hyatt this year.

The eight-hour class – spread over two or three days in several sessions being offered – gives cyclists the confidence they need to ride safely, and legally, on streets, Hyatt said.

Learn principles of riding with traffic, predicting and avoiding motorist errors, bike-handling skills, basic bicycle maintenance and essential gear.

The class is recommended for adults and children above age 15. Students 15-17 must have a parent present. One session is for women only.

Cost: Just $10, thanks to a $40 scholarship offered to each participant this year from a grant through the City of Spokane.

Class dates: May 15 and 21; May 30, June 6 and 13 (for women only); June 5 and 9; June 21 and 23.

Questions: contact SpokaneBikeBuddy@aol.com or cyclesafely@gmail.com.

Sign up online: tinyurl.com/bikeskills.

Choose “Spokane Bicycle Traffic Skills” and select your class dates.