I've been teaching Road I/TS 101 on a pretty regular basis (at least semi-monthly) for a little over three years now. It's fun, it's challenging, and I hope that I get a little better every time. Sometimes you do hit a tough crowd, though...

Most cyclists aren't taught to ride by somebody who's already an experienced cyclist. They're told to stay away from the road, and from traffic. Consequently, our "lizard brains" -- those deep, internal instincts -- are accustomed to being scared of traffic. Maybe, way down deep, that instinct might also be a source of road rage toward cyclists riding in traffic.

I don't use the word "dangerous" in my classes, because that simply reinforces that lizard-brain instinct. Likewise, I don't use the word "accident," either. What occurs in traffic and on the trails are either "crashes" or "collisions," both of which have -- somewhere -- some causal effect.

We do encounter hazards out there on the streets and roads. And what we're learning in this class is how to recognize what those hazards are, and what they can potentially do to you. For part of this, I use a set of powerpoint slides with photos taken in our local town of various problem areas, and I use some video as well, especially in showing how you would use the avoidance drills. Now that you can recognize that hazard, we learn the steps that you can take to avoid them, or stay out of those situations entirely. These are condensed down into what we usually call the five "layers of prevention." And since we run the classes on a tell-see-do basis, we re-emphasize that part of the lesson when we go out in the parking lot and learn the avoidance drills.

In any class of more than 4 or 5 folks, you're always going to have some fellow who has a personal horror story. (And I'll usually share a couple of my own, and explain how I let myself get into that situation, what happened, and what I learned from it) What I try to to with those cases to to show them how to confront those fears, discern what they really consist of, and show them how to overcome those problems.

After all, some of the most important things we do as LCIs is to coach and encourage other riders so that they get more enjoyment, and better benefits out of their cycling...

Tom
#1853M