League Cycling Instructor

Staying Safe Cycling City Streets

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 3 Comments

A Dude hasn’t biked as far as he has, mostly here in Austin, Texas, and remained above ground without taking safe cycling seriously. Some people don’t do that, so they pay the price with injury or worse. Others do play by all the rules but drivers of cars don’t. The smart money is on doing everything you can to be “oh, oh, oh stayin’ alive” so you can “live to ride another day,” as Sam says. I know what I’m talking about because I am currently still alive after almost 30,000 verified Strava miles. I also took the League Cycling Instructors course (I’m short a few exercises of being a full-fledged LCI). Here are 10 tips off the top of my — what word for brain starts with t.

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Bicycle Bites, Motion Morsels and Transportation Tidbits

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 5 Comments

I must have been hungry when I wrote this post, going by the title. But this is not about food you eat while riding your bike. It’s one of those posts wherein I list various random bike stuff, thoughts and news. It’s usually a combination of stuff I did, saw or read about that isn’t enough for its own separate post. The blurbs can be educational, factual, just a slice of life, or even a rant. I bet you’ll find at least one of them interesting. I think I’ll go have a small snack while you keep reading. If you do, thanks!

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17-Year Old Cyclist Ran a Stop Sign and Was Killed in Austin on November 9

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 6 Comments

On a Friday evening in November, just after dark, a young Asian teenager was riding his bike in North Austin. The road dead-ended into a very fast, four-lane road with a median. He made it half-way across, and then for some reason, didn’t stop to yield to traffic that had a speed limit of 60 miles per hour. A blue Toyota hit him, and the driver stayed at the scene. The victim, whose name was Minh-Tan Pham, died later in the hospital. Another young life was extinguished in mere moments due to more traffic violence. He was the 67th traffic fatality on Austin roads in 2018… so far.

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A Dude Attends the League Cycling Instructor Seminar (Part 1)

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 5 Comments

This post is not about San Diego, but it is about a class.  Tonight was the first of three sessions of the League of American Bicyclists class.  That’s right!  A Dude is attempting to become a League Cycling Instructor (LCI).  This is a follow-up to the Smart Cycling class, which I wrote about last month.  I also blogged about the League in this post.  Taken together, you can learn a few things about bicycling safety and education.  I won’t repeat much of the content, though.  For that you can and should sign up for a Smart Cycling or LCI class yourself!  Because it’s an intensive weekend, this will be a more brief post than usual (that’s a good thing).  I’ll post a follow-up on my usual next day, which is Monday.  OK, time to open your notebooks!  Ready, begin.

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What Is the League of American Bicyclists?

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 1 Comment

Like Steve Martin as Navin Johnson in the great 1979 movie The Jerk exclaimed gleefully, “The new phone books are here!  The new phone books are here!”   While not jumping up and down, I was similarly enthused.  My membership to the League of American Bicyclists arrived in the mail.  Who are they?  What are they about?  Are there any extraordinary gentlemen and copious amounts of Sean Connery’s beard involved?  Why did I join?  These are the burning questions I was yearning to be learning the answers to, as I’m sure you want to know as well.  Well, A Dude Abikes is here to share them with you.  It’s free of charge except for the time you spend reading, and you do have to pay some attention.  I hope you’ll jump at the chance to go past the button for Continue Reading. Continue reading →

Bike Austin City Cycling Class at REI

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 2 Comments

Roads:  They’re Not Just for Cars Anymore.

Who knew that the Texas Department of Transportation, the highway and toll road people sponsored classes for bicyclists?  They’re also for car drivers to learn how to respect the rules of the road and vulnerable road users, i.e., dudes and dudettes on bikes. So on Saturday I saddled up and sauntered slowly downtown despite my ongoing allergies or whatever they are to get a little knowledge dropped into my mountain cedar-induced feverish brain.  And I may have learned a thing or two.  It turns out that you can teach an old dude new tricks.  Not like, magic, or BMX, but you know, tricks. Continue reading →