city cycling

Family Confident City Cycling

| Jeff Wetzel

Register Cost Location

More joy, less stress! Riding your bike doesn’t have to be stressful. Join us for a morning of skills, confidence, and community building.

Riding with kids can be a lot of fun, but it comes with some extra considerations. This February, join us for a City Cycling class that’s specifically focused on riding with kids!

We’ll spend some time on a few specific bike handling skills, then go for a short ride and talk about strategies for riding in different road, bike lane, and trail situations. Bring questions! We’ll help you ride more comfortably and confidently without getting something sticky  all over your brake levers. No matter your skill level, you’ll improve your abilities on two (or more) wheels!

This is going to be fun!

Riding your bike doesn’t have to be stressful. Join us for a morning of skills, confidence, and community building.

We’ll spend some time on a few specific bike handling skills, then go for a short ride and talk about strategies for riding in different road, bike lane, and trail situations. Bring questions!

This two and a half hour class is specifically for adults that ride a bicycle with at least one child on their bike or pulled in a trailer OR if you ride with a child riding their own bicycle.

We’ll help you ride more comfortably and confidently while enjoying the experience of riding with kids! No matter your skill level, you’ll improve your abilities on two (or more) wheels.

We’ll explore the unique challenges of riding a bike in the region with a child on board, from choosing equipment to avoiding hazards.

The first part of the class will take place in a car free environment (an indoor gym), and after practicing some drills, we’ll go out on a ride on the local trail and roads. 

Kids are welcome, but childcare will not be provided. In an effort to create an ideal learning environment, please maintain a 1:1 adult to child ratio for children on their own bikes, and 1:2 adult to child ratio for children riding on the same bike as their adult.

We’ll spend some time on a few specific bike handling skills, then go for a short ride and talk about strategies for riding in different road, bike lane, and trail situations. Bring questions!

By the time you head home, you’ll feel more confident, comfortable, and happy on your bike. Plus it’s a blast.

Something for everyone

Whether you’ve just learned to ride or you’ve been bike commuting for years, we’ve got new things to share with you. Our experienced League Certified Instructors will make sure that you’re working on skills that match your level of comfort and experience on your bike.

Is this class right for you?

  • Do you know how to ride a bicycle?
  • Are you comfortable riding a bike for at least 30 minutes?
  • Are you able to start and stop your bike in a controlled manner?

If you answered “no” to any of the above questions, then a Learn to Ride or a Basic Skills Clinic is best for you.

For this specific Family Confident City Cycling class, we will be focused on people that do one or more of the following

  • You power a bicycle that is carrying or pulling a child.
  • You power a bicycle while a youth (age 6 and older) is powering their own bicycle (i.e. no tag-alongs, trailers, etc.).
  • You want to speak to other parents about their experiences and want to share some of your own.

What to bring:

  • Questions! We love them! Do you have a particular bike situation you’ve always wondered about? That’s what we’re here for.
  • A bike, helmet, water and a snack.
  • Flat pedals. Toe clips, clipless pedals, or other gizmos that attach your feet to your pedals aren’t recommended. If you don’t know what this means, your pedals will work fine.

What does it cost?

Ten bucks! What a deal!

But space is limited, so we recommend you register below ahead of time to hold your spot!

Are you a WABA or Capital Bikeshare member? Then the class is free. Email or call 202-518-0524 x222 for a coupon.

Class Location

Rita Bright Family and Youth Center

2500 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20009

Please meet inside in the gym.

Getting There
Street parking in the area is limited and there is no off-street parking available.

The 52 and 54 buses serve 14th St in front of Rita Bright.

Rita Bright is about 6 blocks from both the Columbia Heights and U St-Cardozo metro stations on the Green and Yellow line.

Register

More Joy, Less Stress: 2019 Adult Education Season Wrap Up

| Sydney Sotelo

Just like that, another year is nearly over and the 2019 Adult Education class season has come to an end. The WABA Education team is hard at work reflecting upon the past year and making resolutions for the next. This year, over 600 participants joined a WABA class to try something new, build confidence and experience more joy and less stress! 

They took the first step towards achieving their goals, why shouldn’t you?  Whether you’re looking for a more sustainable commute, exercise that is fun and outside or to finally knock something off your bucket list, learning to ride safely and confidently is the key to biking happy.

Check out some of the highlights from the 2019 season below and mark your calendars! The 2020 Adult Education season will be back with even more classes next spring.

Welcoming new bicyclists 

This year, our team of staff and LCI Instructors led 20 Learn to Ride classes in DC, Montgomery County, Arlington and Alexandria. 

  • Over 320 participants attended Learn to Ride classes and 80% of them were riding successfully by the end of the three hour class. 
  • WABA hosted three Youth Learn to Ride classes in Alexandria and 23 youth learned to ride their bike without training wheels!
  • In June, WABA hosted a Spanish language Learn to Ride class in partnership with Casa Chirilagua, a Latino community and education organization in the Arlandria neighborhood of Alexandria.
  • In August, WABA partnered with PSI Family Services to offer a week-long Learn to Ride camp for adults with developmental disabilities. 
  • In total, over 235 new bicyclists are enjoying our region’s trails, paths and bike lanes. Great job everyone!

If you or someone you know would like to take the first step to learning to ride a bike, sign up to receive emails about our upcoming classes! We’ll be sure to let you know when the 2020 schedule is out. WABA Learn to Rides classes are fun and intuitive—you, too, could be riding confidently by the end of class!

Building confidence

This year, 120 participants made #betterbicycling their goal by signing up for a Confident City Cycling class! Whether riding in traffic or on a trail, proper etiquette and bike handling skills make for a safe and enjoyable ride.

  • WABA hosted 19 Confident City Cycle classes in DC, Montgomery County, Arlington and Alexandria. 
  • On August 6th, WABA held a bike rodeo at the National Night Out celebration at Lincoln Park! Kids and adults alike rode the obstacle course, which featured hazards, twisty turns, and even a stop sign!
  • Booz Allen Hamilton hosted a Commuting 101 ride that encouraged their employees to incorporate bicycling into the daily commute. The group explored routes between the three Booz Allen offices in DC. 
  • WABA partnered with JUMP Bikes to host a Confident City Cycle class on e-bikes. Participants learned about the difference in speed and reaction time between regular bicycles and those with electronic assist and tried their hand at a number of different drills.

Bike education doesn’t stop after you learn to ride. Want to make every day Bike to Work Day? Bring an Everyday Bicycling Seminar to your office and give your coworkers the gift of safer, less stressful riding.

Exploring our communities

Looking for a new route? Interested in learning how to get around the city by bike?  Community Education Rides depart from all over the region, exploring city streets, trails and everything in between.

  • In September, WABA hosted a family-friendly Community Ride with Casa Chirilagua entirely in Spanish! We rode up the Mount Vernon Trail for a picnic at Gravelly Point.
  • In October, WABA and Capital Bikeshare celebrated Women’s Bike Month with a tour of DC’s most iconic statues of women.
  • WABA and JUMP hosted a winter community ride where participants learned the importance of layering, seasonal road conditions and visibility.

WABA Adult Education classes are local (currently offered in DC, Montgomery County, Arlington and Alexandria), inexpensive and most importantly, they’re a fun time! Sign up for a class and take the first step to #betterbicycling.

We can’t wait to see you out there! 

Help us get more folks on bikes – will you make make a donation to WABA today? Your tax-deductible donation means more bike lanes, safer streets, healthier people, and connected communities.

WABA x JUMP Community Ride

| Sydney Sotelo

Register Cost Location

Worried that falling temperatures might put a damper on your ride? Learn the ins and outs of cold weather biking and gear up for plenty of riding this winter with WABA and JUMP! We’ll discuss the importance of layers, riding in inclement weather and how to get the most out of your cold weather ride. And don’t worry, if you get too cold, you can always lock up your JUMP bike and hop on the Metro. We’ll be exploring helpful ways to get from the trail to the Metro and back again so you can keep riding all winter long.

Our community education ride series is a fun, social and inclusive space for riders of varying experience and confidence. You will always have a great time on our rides, but they’re also a safe space to ask questions and practice to make this summer’s riding a breeze.

  • Ride start and end – Four Mile Run Park Plaza
  • Start time -12:00 PM
  • End time – 2:00 PM
  • Distance – About 14 miles

What to bring:

  • Questions! We love them! Do you have a particular bike situation you’ve always wondered about? That’s what we’re here for.
  • Appropriate outerwear, water and a snack.
  • Flat pedals. Toe clips, clipless pedals, or other gizmos that attach your feet to your pedals aren’t recommended. If you don’t know what this means, your pedals will work fine.
  • Bicycles and helmets will be provided for free!

What does it cost?

This class is free thanks to the generous support of JUMP! Bicycles and helmets will be provided!

Class Location

Four Mile Run Park Plaza

4121 Mt. Vernon Avenue

Register

WABA x JUMP Confident City Cycling

| Sydney Sotelo

Register Cost Location

More joy, less stress! Riding your bike doesn’t have to be stressful. Join us for a morning of skills, confidence, and community building. We’ll spend some time on a few e-bike specific handling skills, then go for a ride and talk about strategies for riding in different road, bike lane, and trail situations. Bring questions! By the time you head home, you’ll feel more confident, comfortable, and happy on an e-bike. Plus it’s a blast.

Something for everyone

Whether you’ve just learned to ride or you’ve been bike commuting for years, we’ve got new things to share with you. Our experienced League Certified Instructors will make sure that you’re working on skills that match your level of comfort and experience on your bike.

Is this class right for you?

  • Do you know how to ride a bicycle?
  • Are you comfortable riding a bike for at least 30 minutes?
  • Are you able to start and stop your bike in a controlled manner?

If you answered “no” to any of the above questions, then a Learn to Ride or a Basic Skills Clinic is best for you.

What to bring:

  • Questions! We love them! Do you have a particular bike situation you’ve always wondered about? That’s what we’re here for.
  • Appropriate outerwear, water and a snack.
  • Flat pedals. Toe clips, clipless pedals, or other gizmos that attach your feet to your pedals aren’t recommended. If you don’t know what this means, your pedals will work fine.

What does it cost?

This class is free thanks to the generous support of JUMP! Bicycles and helmets will be provided!

Class Location

Anacostia Skate Pavilion Parking Lot

1500 Anacostia Dr, Washington, DC 20020

Parking: There is parking available at this location.

Public Transportation: This location is a 15 minute walk from the Pennsylvania Ave L’Enfant SE Bus Station.

Register

Confident City Cycling

| Sydney Sotelo

Register Cost Location

More joy, less stress! Riding your bike doesn’t have to be stressful. Join us for a morning of skills, confidence, and community building. We’ll spend some time on a few specific bike handling skills, then go for a short ride and talk about strategies for riding in different road, bike lane, and trail situations. Bring questions! By the time you head home, you’ll feel more confident, comfortable, and happy on your bike. Plus it’s a blast.

This is going to be fun!

Riding your bike doesn’t have to be stressful. Join us for a morning of skills, confidence, and community building.

We’ll spend some time on a few specific bike handling skills, then go for a short ride and talk about strategies for riding in different road, bike lane, and trail situations. Bring questions!

By the time you head home, you’ll feel more confident, comfortable, and happy on your bike. Plus it’s a blast.

Something for everyone

Whether you’ve just learned to ride or you’ve been bike commuting for years, we’ve got new things to share with you. Our experienced League Certified Instructors will make sure that you’re working on skills that match your level of comfort and experience on your bike.

Is this class right for you?

  • Do you know how to ride a bicycle?
  • Are you comfortable riding a bike for at least 30 minutes?
  • Are you able to start and stop your bike in a controlled manner?

If you answered “no” to any of the above questions, then a Learn to Ride or a Basic Skills Clinic is best for you.

What to bring:

  • Questions! We love them! Do you have a particular bike situation you’ve always wondered about? That’s what we’re here for.
  • A bike, helmet, water and a snack.
  • Flat pedals. Toe clips, clipless pedals, or other gizmos that attach your feet to your pedals aren’t recommended. If you don’t know what this means, your pedals will work fine.

What does it cost?

Ten bucks! What a deal!

Drop-ins are free! But space is limited, so we recommend you register below ahead of time to hold your spot! Otherwise, walk up to any class at least 15 minutes before we start so we can have you fill out a little bit of paperwork.

Are you a WABA or Capital Bikeshare member? Then the class is free. Email or call 202-518-0524 x221 for a coupon.

Class Location

Anacostia Skate Pavilion Parking Lot

1500 Anacostia Dr, Washington, DC 20020

Parking: There is parking available at this location.

Public Transportation: This location is a 15 minute walk from the Pennsylvania Ave L’Enfant SE Bus Station.

Register

Confident City Cycling

| Sydney Sotelo

Register Cost Location

More joy, less stress! Riding your bike doesn’t have to be stressful. Join us for a morning of skills, confidence, and community building. We’ll spend some time on a few specific bike handling skills, then go for a short ride and talk about strategies for riding in different road, bike lane, and trail situations. Bring questions! By the time you head home, you’ll feel more confident, comfortable, and happy on your bike. Plus it’s a blast.

This is going to be fun!

Riding your bike doesn’t have to be stressful. Join us for a morning of skills, confidence, and community building.

We’ll spend some time on a few specific bike handling skills, then go for a short ride and talk about strategies for riding in different road, bike lane, and trail situations. Bring questions!

By the time you head home, you’ll feel more confident, comfortable, and happy on your bike. Plus it’s a blast.

Something for everyone

Whether you’ve just learned to ride or you’ve been bike commuting for years, we’ve got new things to share with you. Our experienced League Certified Instructors will make sure that you’re working on skills that match your level of comfort and experience on your bike.

Is this class right for you?

  • Do you know how to ride a bicycle?
  • Are you comfortable riding a bike for at least 30 minutes?
  • Are you able to start and stop your bike in a controlled manner?

If you answered “no” to any of the above questions, then a Learn to Ride or a Basic Skills Clinic is best for you.

What to bring:

  • Questions! We love them! Do you have a particular bike situation you’ve always wondered about? That’s what we’re here for.
  • A bike, helmet, water and a snack.
  • Flat pedals. Toe clips, clipless pedals, or other gizmos that attach your feet to your pedals aren’t recommended. If you don’t know what this means, your pedals will work fine.

What does it cost?

Ten bucks! What a deal!

Drop-ins are free! But space is limited, so we recommend you register below ahead of time to hold your spot! Otherwise, walk up to any class at least 15 minutes before we start so we can have you fill out a little bit of paperwork.

Are you a WABA or Capital Bikeshare member? Then the class is free. Email or call 202-518-0524 x221 for a coupon.

Class Location

Anacostia Skate Pavilion Parking Lot

1500 Anacostia Dr, Washington, DC 20020

Parking: There is parking available at this location.

Public Transportation: This location is a 15 minute walk from the Pennsylvania Ave L’Enfant SE Bus Station.

Register

Confident City Cycling

| Sydney Sotelo

Register Cost Location

More joy, less stress! Riding your bike doesn’t have to be stressful. Join us for a morning of skills, confidence, and community building. We’ll spend some time on a few specific bike handling skills, then go for a short ride and talk about strategies for riding in different road, bike lane, and trail situations. Bring questions! By the time you head home, you’ll feel more confident, comfortable, and happy on your bike. Plus it’s a blast.

This is going to be fun!

Riding your bike doesn’t have to be stressful. Join us for a morning of skills, confidence, and community building.

We’ll spend some time on a few specific bike handling skills, then go for a short ride and talk about strategies for riding in different road, bike lane, and trail situations. Bring questions!

By the time you head home, you’ll feel more confident, comfortable, and happy on your bike. Plus it’s a blast.

Something for everyone

Whether you’ve just learned to ride or you’ve been bike commuting for years, we’ve got new things to share with you. Our experienced League Certified Instructors will make sure that you’re working on skills that match your level of comfort and experience on your bike.

Is this class right for you?

  • Do you know how to ride a bicycle?
  • Are you comfortable riding a bike for at least 30 minutes?
  • Are you able to start and stop your bike in a controlled manner?

If you answered “no” to any of the above questions, then a Learn to Ride or a Basic Skills Clinic is best for you.

What to bring:

  • Questions! We love them! Do you have a particular bike situation you’ve always wondered about? That’s what we’re here for.
  • A bike, helmet, water and a snack.
  • Flat pedals. Toe clips, clipless pedals, or other gizmos that attach your feet to your pedals aren’t recommended. If you don’t know what this means, your pedals will work fine.

What does it cost?

Ten bucks! What a deal!

Drop-ins are free! But space is limited, so we recommend you register below ahead of time to hold your spot! Otherwise, walk up to any class at least 15 minutes before we start so we can have you fill out a little bit of paperwork.

Are you a WABA or Capital Bikeshare member? Then the class is free. Email or call 202-518-0524 x221 for a coupon.

Class Location

Anacostia Skate Pavilion Parking Lot

1500 Anacostia Dr, Washington, DC 20020

Parking: There is parking available at this location.

Public Transportation: This location is a 15 minute walk from the Pennsylvania Ave L’Enfant SE Bus Station.

Register

Meet Jonathan Oliver, our new Education Coordinator

| Colin Browne

Hello! I’m Jonathan Oliver, WABA’s new Education Coordinator responsible for running our adult education programs serving adults in the DC/MD/VA metropolitan region. I’m excited to join WABA’s mission to improve bicycling in our area. My primary goal is to help both new and current adult riders achieve their riding goals while having fun and being safe.

About me: Riding BMX bikes as a kid with my neighborhood friends was when I first understood the sense of community, freedom, fun, and health benefits that bicycling can provide. I’ve always been interested in learning, helping people, and solving problems so it seemed natural to share knowledge through bicycle and fitness-related organizations and activities. Before coming to WABA, I worked in research & development engineering and program management. My focus was always learning and doing new things that might help people. For several years I’ve been an active volunteer with bike organizations, including WABA, doing rider and Ride Marshal training, working with newer riders to achieve their goals, developing and executing ride events, and pretty much anything bike-related. You’ll find me on everything from casual social rides and bike commuting to faster-paced long distance rides.

Looking ahead: Imagine if everyone that wanted to ride could ride? If every rider had the comfort and skill level that they needed to safely ride on streets and trails? If every driver was safe and friendly to bicycles and always shared the roads? To help achieve these visions, I’m working with WABA’s excellent team of instructors to help adults learn to ride bikes and all riders to ride safely and comfortably on city streets, suburban and rural roads, trails, and while bike commuting to and from work. My efforts include planning, coordinating, and implementing several key WABA programs such as our Adult Learn to Ride classes, City Cycling classes, Community rides, Everyday Biking seminars, Bicycle Friendly Driver seminars, and other great offerings. I’m also working to bring bicycle education to areas not already served, identifying areas of need, and helping to implement effective programs to meet those needs.

There’s a lot of work to do and a lot of biking fun to be had. If you or someone you know wants to learn how to ride, improve riding skills, and generally have fun on two wheels in a safe and supportive environment, please contact us at education@waba.org. Hope to see you on two wheels!

I’d Like to Bike, But…

| Renée Moore

People have their reasons for not biking. We’re here to change some perspectives!

Since becoming the Outreach Coordinator at the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA), I have attended a lot of expos, wellness events and festivals. I love meeting new people and talking with them about what we do at WABA. I also like hearing from people about why they do or don’t bike in the city.

So I decided to create two boards to take with me to my events. One of the boards says, “I bike because…” and the other says, “ I’d like to bike but…”. Although I love reading the responses about why people bike, I am even more intrigued by why people don’t. I read each one as people write them and use those responses as a way to jump-start a conversation about what we do and how we can help them. Here are the top reasons I see and hear about why people don’t bike and how WABA can make you a little less apprehensive to biking.

#1 – “I don’t know how to ride a bike.”

I learned to ride as an adult (as did one of my co-workers), so I completely understand how that hinders someone from riding a bike. And as you get older, you realize that you are further from the ground so falling off a bike becomes pretty scary. If you or someone you know is in this situation, we can help.

WABA offers adult Learn to Ride classes throughout the year. We have certified instructors who will spend time with each student getting them comfortable on a bicycle and learning to ride in under 3 hours. And you are never to old to learn. Last season, we had a 76 year old woman learn to ride so you have no excuse! You can learn more about our Adult Learn to Ride Classes here.

#2 – “I’m scared of being hit by cars.”

I must admit, I always find this answer funny. These are drivers who are afraid to bike because of…drivers? But I also get it because I was in their shoes. After I learned to ride, I always rode on trails. I was terrified of being hit by a car, or more specifically, by a taxi cab.

I overcame that by taking a City Cycling class with WABA! I learned to not ride in the gutter, how to signal for turns and how to confidently take the lane when biking to make sure I’m seen by cars. Amazingly, these and other simple steps really do make you feel so much more confident on the road. You can learn how to ride confidently in the city too by taking our City Cycling class.

#3 – “I live too far away.”

This is a legitimate reason to not bike the entire way to work. However, you may be able to do multi-modal riding. For example, maybe you can take the Metro part of the way and take bikeshare the rest of the way. Or perhaps you bike rather than drive to the store or to run errands near where you live. Thinking of biking in these small ways can help build your confidence and get you biking more often.

#4 – “I’m out of shape.”

Biking is great exercise and helps to get you in shape. I often suggest just biking a mile or around the block. Or join one of our community rides so you can be social and ride with others. Often people don’t even realize they have biked 10 miles when they bike in a social ride. And it’s a great way to build up your endurance!

And #5? – “Hills!”

Hills are no joke. I grew up in Anacostia and it is HILLY. It can definitely prevent people from wanting to ride. But there are a couple of ways to conquer hills. One way is to bike down the hill and take Metro or the bus up the hilly part. The other way is to buy or rent an e-bike. These incredible bikes make hills seem flat by giving you the boost you need to roll up any hill with ease.

Now you know the most common objections I hear about why people aren’t biking. But we all have to start somewhere – consider this a step in the bike direction!

She won a free bike, will you?

| Doug Smith

You may not know Celeste, but she was a WABA bike education student last year. By attending a bicycle education class in 2017, Celeste was automatically entered to win the sweet bicycle you see above. Celeste signed up for a WABA Learn to Ride class because the time was finally right. She had lived long enough without being able to ride a bike. She was proud of her great life surrounded by friends, working as a professor and staying active within her community. What she didn’t have was the experience of enjoying life on two wheels.

This is where WABA came in.

In the span of three hours, Celeste was introduced to wearing a helmet properly, how to make sure her bike was properly fitted for her, and finally all about how to balance. After meticulous practice pushing with her feet, Flintstones-style, Celeste was ready for pedals. After a few wobbles and shakes (from nerves and still being new at the whole balance thing), Celeste was pedaling a bicycle all by herself for the first time in her life! She walked away from the class with a new found skill and the feeling of success. Little did she know that she was also walking away with a brand new bicycle.

Due to the generous support of a WABA member, the Adult Education team received a bicycle to raffle off during the Fall 2017 season. Anyone that learned to ride for the first time in a learn to ride class, brushed up on their riding skills in a city cycling class; or discovered the greater bicycling community in a community ride was eligible to win the bike.

By participating in a class you’re guaranteed to win (just not guaranteed to win a bike). You will win the feeling of being connected to an awesome community–the incredible local biking community! You will win new skills and tricks to find more joy and comfort while riding a bicycle. And, maybe, just maybe, you could win a bike.

So, what’s stopping you? Come and win in a class this spring. Check this space in the next couple of weeks to view the schedule. Or, enter your email address here and be notified when the schedule goes live.

Happy riding!