Street Smarts is a short course designed for beginning cyclists to feel comfortable riding in traffic.

Upcoming classes are on Saturday, 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. 

Course location is:

Outdoor Chattanooga
200 River Street
Chattanooga, TN 37405
Coolidge Park
LCI Instructor: David Rathbone

Tuition: $25.00

You will need to provide an adult, street rideable bicycle and helmet.  If you wish to take the course and don't yet have a bike, please inquire.  Registration not required but encouraged.  To let us know you are coming or for any questions contact Philip Pugliese 423-643-6887, ppugliese@outdoorchattanooga.com   

Cycling 201 - Road I Course - Saturday July 25 - Register Now

A nine-hour class designed for all riders, this course combines classroom discussion and activities with on- road practice and instruction in the principles of vehicular style bicycling. Learn about bike selection, basic repairs, clothing and equipment, traffic laws, lane positioning, bike handling and crash avoidance. Bicycle and helmet required for class.  Pre- registration required.  Minimum age 16; 13-15 accepted with parent enrolled.

Upcoming Classes:

Outdoor Chattanooga
200 River Street
Chattanooga, TN 37405
Coolidge Park
LCI Instructor: David Rathbone

Tuition: $50

Outdoor Chattanooga
200 River Street
Chattanooga, TN 37405
Contact: Philip Pugliese, Bicycle Coordinator
423 643 6887
ppugliese@outdoorchattanooga.com

Instructors are certified by the League of American Bicyclists.

Becoming a League Cycling Instructor (LCI) certified to teach BikeEd is a great way to help cyclists in your community. Certified instructors can teach BikeEd classes to children as well as adults. Help bring the joy of safe cycling to others. If you are an experienced cyclist and would like to teach others please consider taking the next step towards certification. Road I is a prerequisite for a certification seminar. Instructors are trained at seminars held periodically throughout the year.

Registration Details

To register for a seminar, please take the following two steps:

   1. Email the Site Coordinator regarding your interest, AND

   2. Register at http://bikeleague.org/cogs/programs/education/seminar_schedule

You must become a member of the League of American Bicyclists. Annual membership dues start at $30.

The LCI training seminar is two days and one night. The registration fee is $200 and includes the League Guide to Safe and Enjoyable Cycling book, Enjoy the Ride DVD and Bike Ed instructor materials. All registration information and payment MUST be received at least six weeks prior to the seminar. There must be a minimum of 10 instructor candidates in each seminar.

Once you have become a League Cycling Instructor, there are annual requirements for remaining certified, including:

   1. Keeping League membership current

   2. Renewing LCI status with the League once a year.

The League Cycling Instructor (LCI) Certification Seminar registration fee of $200 covers:

    * 20 hours of instruction, exercises and practice teaching both in the classroom and on the bike, usually during the course of a single weekend beginning on a Friday evening and ending on a Sunday afternoon.

    * a copy of the League Guide to Safe and Effective Cycling

    * Enjoy the Ride DVD (one covering adult cycling practices and one aimed at the parents of small children).

    * a League Cycling Instructor Manual with curricula and support material for teaching classes to adult and child cyclists, parents of young children, bicycle commuters and motorists.

    * a certificate indicating League Instructor status.

    * access to the LCI Internet listserv where instructors discuss teaching issues and techniques.

    * listing in the League’s national website database of instructors and inclusion in the annual almanac printed and distributed to League members.

    * free online course postings on the League’s website.

    * one year of coverage under the League’s individual liability insurance for LCIs, renewable each year for the maintenance fee of $25.

Deadlines for registration are set in order to help you get the Pre- Seminar book and video in a timely way to permit you plenty of time to fill out the pre-test and send it to your Seminar Trainer. If you miss the deadline, contact the League. If we need to rush these materials to you after the registration deadline (six weeks prior to the Seminar), we charge a $75 late fee.

As an LCI you are certified to teach the League’s bicycle education (BikeEd) curriculum including:

    * Road I (the basic introductory/intermediate course for adult cyclists)

    * Road II (an advanced adult course)

    * Kids I (designed for the parents of children under 10 years of age)

    * Kids II (designed for children 10-14 [4th & 5th graders] including on-road practice).

While most BikeEd courses are designed to be taught to groups of 1-10 students per instructor, they can be adapted to your local needs, and the needs of your students. As independent contractors, you are not employees of the League and you have the freedom to organize your classes to fit your needs as long as you cover the list of “need to know” elements for a given age group. You must collect signed waivers for all participants. You may also “team teach” with other instructors and incorporate training aids of your own design employing the A/V equipment and facilities at your disposal. Also, as independent contractors you are free to set your own fees and schedules. The League does not organize classes, but you may publicize your BikeEd classes for free on the League’s website.

If you are an experienced and knowledgeable cyclist with a desire to make cycling safe and accessible for others, you are on the right track. The League seeks to certify those of its members (yes, membership in the League is required) who are self- starters, passionate about cycling and are recognized within their communities as riders with experience and know how.

Completion of a BikeEd Road I course is a prerequisite for attending a seminar. If you have not taken the Road I course from a certified instructor, you must do so prior to the seminar. IPMBA police cycling classes are not accepted as a substitute for the Road I class requirement. Road I is also a helpful preparation even for advanced cyclists who want to become LCIs, both to familiarize candidates with the structure and content of the course and to allow them to observe how others learn in the cycling environment. Ideally, Road I should be taken 3-6 months prior to the LCI Seminar, in order to allow the candidate to incorporate the skills and techniques from Road I into his or her cycling. IPMBA PCIs can become LCIs through our PCI-to- LCI program, described here (PDF).

The exact schedule varies slightly for each Seminar. You will receive a detailed Seminar agenda from your Site Coordinator. Please address specific questions about meals and breaks, lodging, equipment and other logistics to the Site Coordinator. Generally, 1/3 of your time at the Seminar is on-bike, so come prepared to ride about 5-10 miles per day on a variety of streets and road in a variety of traffic situations. The Seminar focuses on teaching and demonstration techniques you will use with your future students both on the road and in parking lot practice of hazard avoidance maneuvers.

The seminar emphasis is on how to teach bicycle safety and skills so as to provide increased comfort and confidence for new and returning cyclists and youth. The Seminar does not emphasize the content or specific details of the cycling course curricula. It is primarily about teaching, and each candidate will have opportunities during the seminar to practice- teach parts of the Road I curriculum, both in the classroom and in the parking lot. Peer critiques will be an important part of this activity.

Prior to the seminar, you will also be required to take an open-book exam using your League Guide to Safe and Enjoyable Cycling book and video and your Road I Student Notebook. You will send the completed exam answer sheets to your trainer, who will use the exam results to help assess your cycling knowledge and fine tune seminar activities accordingly.

The League assigns Trainers from among a small group of its LCIs who are experienced at leading Seminars and training others to teach safe cycling. All Seminar Trainers have at least four years experience teaching students as LCIs, and have attended several LCI Seminars as observers and assistant trainers. Each trainer has a broad knowledge of bicycle safety instruction and equipment maintenance. They are experts in the League’s BikeEd program. Additionally, many of our Trainers have advanced training in bicycle mechanics, have experience with both mountain biking and road cycling, have done long- distance self- supported cycle touring, are active members of advocacy groups, and serve as officers in their local bicycle clubs.

Please notify the League in writing 30 days in advance if you cannot attend a Seminar for which you have registered, and you will receive credit toward a future Seminar, less the cost of materials and a $50 administrative fee. If you do not notify the League in writing, your Seminar fee is not refundable. Reasonable exceptions can be made for emergencies. In such an event, you should notify the Site Coordinator and credit can be arranged for a future Seminar.

The first requirement is that you complete the open-book pre- seminar exam, which consists of 50 multiple choice questions, 25 true/false questions, and 10 short answer essay questions. You will be tested on knowledge from your Road I manual, the League Guide to Safe and Enjoyable Cycling book and video. Sending this completed test to your Seminar Trainer no later than 10 days prior to the Seminar is a requirement for certification. If the test has not been sent to the Trainer on time (you’ll be notified of the exact deadline upon registration) you may be asked by the Trainer to attend a future Seminar instead. If your written test is not completed to the Trainer’s satisfaction, he or she can ask you to attend a future Seminar instead.

The next area of assessment is your presentation skills, which you will be asked to demonstrate at the Seminar. You’ll be assigned a presentation topic, and asked to prepare a short presentation. You’ll be critiqued by your fellow candidates and assessed by the Trainer on your effectiveness at presenting and demonstrating the material you are assigned.

During the on-road portion of the Seminar, your Trainer will assess your knowledge of vehicular cycling principles including lane selection, roadway positioning, proper signaling, posture, shifting, cadence and group riding etiquette, among other important skills for leading students on rides. You will be expected to follow all local laws applicable to cyclists, obey signs and signals, and travel at speeds appropriate to the conditions. Items that will be examined during the road riding test are listed on the League’s website here (PDF).

Besides showing your knowledge of the basics, most importantly, you will be demonstrating to the Trainer your ability to convey the importance of key safety information to others. You must attend the full Seminar, unless your Trainer tells you that certain sessions are optional. Your Trainer will make an objective decision about your ability to be an effective instructor, and you will be given the results of his or her assessment at the end of the Seminar.

The Seminar Trainer may feel that you are not ready for certification at the time of your training. The Trainer may recommend that you do remedial course work with a specific LCI or other instructor. Once that instructor helps you fill the specific remedial requirements, he or she will notify your Trainer, who will notify the League, and you will be eligible for certification. A Trainer may also recommend that you attend a future Seminar. In that event, you will be entitled to attend a future Seminar at no cost. You can attend as many Seminars as you need, free of additional charge, to allow you to successfully complete the training and become recommended for certification.

You are not required to teach any particular number of classes or students, though you are encouraged to teach as soon after the Seminar as possible, in order to practice what you’ve learned while it’s still fresh. Each class you teach must be pre- announced to the League via the League’s online database, for which you will receive a password for access. After the class, course paperwork must be sent to the League. Copies of the Class Roster, Sign-in Sheet and Registration forms/ signed and dated waivers must be mailed to the League. In order for you to be covered by the League’s insurance, you must follow all the League policies for teaching BikeEd courses.

You are also required to submit an annual renewal fee of $25 to keep your certification current. However, if your certification lapses, you can renew it at any time.

You can order materials from the League using the LCI Materials Order Form (PDF), or phone your orders in to the League at 202- 822-1333. The League provides booklets, tests, forms and completion certificates for Road I, Road II and Commuter courses. The League currently is out of stock on youth handout materials. You are authorized to reproduce materials on your own as well by copying the materials in your LCI Instructor Manual.