Google Maps ‘Bike There’

Yet another inspiration from the folks in Atlanta: the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition and Emory:

Ladies: Always wanted to learn to ride but never could or did? So many of us would love to ride a bicycle for the pleasure of riding with loved ones, especially kids and grandkids, for the satisfaction of moving by your own (green!) power, and for doing something active to keep our bodies and minds healthy.

Here’s your opportunity to learn how to ride a bike with the support and encouragement of other women who share your enthusiasm and willingness to try something new and challenging. The course is designed and taught by a trained female Licensed Cycling Instructor and Atlanta Bicycle Campaign Cycling Educator especially for adult women who have never learned to ride.

This class is open to women only in order to ensure a comfortable learning environment and will take place on the grassy and green Emory campus.

I feel that this is really important because I suspect there are lots of people out there who are very self-conscious about hopping on a bike. Still. It doesn’t matter to them that we think “it’s no big deal,” or that “it’s easy, don’t worry about it, you’ll get it no problem,” or that “even kids can do it—go on, hop on, try it out.” We need to take folks’ concerns seriously.

With the title of this particular class having the words True Beginner in it, there is no room left for uncertainty; if you do not know how to ride a bike, you will be a perfect fit for this class. You will not be the only one in the class who has never ridden a bicycle, and no one will make you feel insecure for not having ridden a bicycle before.

To me, this class is an example of the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition and Emory reaching out, in no uncertain terms, to at least one group of folks who just can’t or won’t hop on a bike, even if they really want to. Maybe they never learned? Or maybe it’s been 20 years? Maybe they’ve been in other “fitness classes” where they felt intimidated by others being better cyclists and/or athletes? Maybe they’re just not comfortable doing exercise activities in the presence of men? It could be anything. But whatever it is, the folks at the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition and Emory are seemingly making it their mission in life to put these women on bikes, and that’s a great thing.

Further down on the page, we even have this:

Helmet and bicycle required – please let us know if you do not have a bicycle – we’ll work with you!

Again, the message to potential class participants is clear: “You do not have to explain yourself. You do not have to justify yourself. We are going to put you on a bike and make you self-sufficient. Just sign up, give us a call if you do not have a bike and helmet yet, and we will work with you to make sure you get what you need. We are going to help you learn to ride a bike. It is going to be fun. There will be no rush. There will be no pressure. Even if you have no idea what a bicycle looks like, we will most likely have you riding at the end of the day. We have a 98% success rate. And if you happen to be part of that 2% that does not quite get it the first time around, then we are going to make sure you get it the second time around. It is that simple. We will not give up on you.”

This is similar to the attraction that the entry-level triathlon packages might have for “true beginner” triathletes. Beginners are more likely to participate when all barriers to entry are removed.

Of course, not every organization has the resources to do this cool stuff, but many do. If nothing else, this would be my exhortation to myself and to all of us bicycling advocates to continue to reach out to folks and really try to grasp what is preventing people from participating in bicycling.

The Boston Globe covers the topic of adults learning to ride bikes, too:

SOMERVILLE - Michael Lamb is a 44-year-old history teacher with a quiet smile and unusual courage. He’s learning, finally, how to ride a bicycle - despite being nearly four decades older than the usual beginner. His goal is modest: ride well enough to accompany his two young children on local bike paths.

“The older you get,” he says, “you feel a little strange asking for help.”

But Lamb is hardly alone. Gas prices hovering above $4 per gallon have led to the busiest season so far for the woman known as Boston’s Bike Whisperer, Susan McLucas, a 59-year-old chronic smiler with a reputation for teaching even the most fearful and frustrated adults to balance on two wheels. Enrollment in Bicycle Riding for Beginners, offered through the Cambridge Center for Adult Education, has nearly doubled since 2006. And demand for one-on-one lessons is on the rise as well.

Don’t forget to check out the cool video.