It’s amazing how much you learn something new when YOU teach something you KNOW to someone else. Over the weekend, Penny and I taught our first ever bike clinic. We had three guinea pigs who were happy to attend (for free). Our two rookies on the right were just barely learning how to clip in and out of their pedals. For those of you who don’t know, in order to ride efficiently, you need pedals and shoes. It’s a pretty scary thing to learn, I guess. I forget what this felt like learning 10 years ago. My paranoia had me clipping in and out fifty times in my garage before I even rode outside. Then, I remember, I got cocky thinking I had it down and fell over at a stoplight. Embarassing! Well, our rookies practiced in the garage, then on the grass, then on the streets. We broke it down into, first one shoe clips in, then raise it up to “ten o’clock”, pedal forward, then clip the other one in while pedaling forward. It seems so automatic to me now, that I was surprised how difficult it really is. It is a practiced skill- not to be mastered in one two hour session. I’m happy to say that they DID get it, but, poor things, fell down a LOT.
We also put our rookies on the trainers taught them proper hand position, how to shift the gears (this is a 2 hour lesson in and of itself), and checked their position on their bikes. You’d be surprised at how poorly they were fit to their bikes. Seat heights were either too high, too low, or a MAN’s saddle (not ever to be recommended). You complain about your butt hurting or your neck tweakin’ - it’s because of your position. Cycling should NOT EVER be painful! Finally, we took a 2 mile cruise to the local school parking lot to practice cornering. Penny taught them to brake before entering the curve, and then to accelerate out of the curve- and to not use brakes when IN the curve. Dude, I still need to work on that skill. Back in the day when Davis Phinney taught me, we had a huge parking lot with fifty cones and had to learn how to counter steer. Let’s say you are going into a right turn, your right arm will be straight and leaning into the drops, while your left arm is bent, right knee is PRESSED into the top tube with your left leg straight. Got that?
In retrospect, we taught a LOT for one session. This seriously could be broken down into multiple steps, levels and skills. But, what a great way to learn a new skill! I’d like to see women’s cycling get as big and as competitive as the men’s fields. My hope is that they will learn to enjoy it and be confident and safe while riding.
Other women’s cycling resources:
6 responses so far ↓
1 MizFit // Jun 4, 2008 at 11:37 am
Such a good point about learning as you teach….entirely my experience as well.
My experience is also that stuff which comes naturally to me (read: not athletics) I am horrible at teaching!
MizFit, who tried giving clarinet lessons a shot and discovered her HORRIBLE lack of patience in that realm
2 Kit // Jun 4, 2008 at 10:42 pm
Sounds like you’ve got things on the right track! Keep up the great work.
3 Fitarella // Jun 5, 2008 at 2:00 am
makes me wanna get on a bike! wished you loved closer, I’d sign up for sure!!
4 Bobbi // Jun 6, 2008 at 5:44 am
my dads friend is letting me test out his bike to see if I want to buy it, I am stoked just got to get out for a ride now and see how it feels! I do know this, the seat is flippin way to hard, I am going to need a girl seat, whats the one you suggested????
5 Christina // Jun 7, 2008 at 2:56 am
What a great idea! I have wondered what a short, beginning workout timeline might look like? How far, and how long in the saddle? The Land Rider has three gears, and is great some a senior trying to get back in shape. Any thoughts, recommendations?
6 Cindy // Jun 8, 2008 at 2:46 am
I agree. It’s quite enlightening to teach what you know. You forget all the smaller steps you took to get to a certain point, so the return to basics helps enforce all the great things you learned!
What an interesting point about cycling. I had no idea you had to clip into the bike.
Leave a Comment