Bicycle Advisory Committee Encourages Spring Tune Up of Biking Skills

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 19, 2012) – Warmer spring weather brings out bicycles across campus and throughout Lexington. The University of Kentucky Bicycle Advisory Committee is is announcing an opportunity through the YMCA of Central Kentucky for students and employees to improve their biking skills. 

The Bicycle Advisory Committee, comprised of UK employees, students and a community representative, is dedicated to cultivating a bicycle-friendly campus by educating its community about safe bicycling practices and improving bicycle facilities on campus. 

Through a grant from the Kentucky Bicycle and Bikeway Commission, the YMCA of Central Kentucky will be offering a series of bike education classes this spring intended to help people bike more safely and more often. All of the classes are available free of charge to University of Kentucky students with a valid student ID.  Also, UK Health and Wellness is offering a one-day bike safety class free to faculty and staff who are interested in commuter biking.

The UK Health & Wellness class, Road 101: Bike Commuting Class, will be taught by Michael Galbraith, a League of American Bicyclists-certified instructor and will focus on basic, on-road riding skills and strategies for route and gear selection.  A short ride around campus will be included, so participants must bring their own bike and helmet (required for participation). The commuting class is for competent riders only; participants must know how to ride a bike. A take-home educational handout will be included.

The Health and Wellness class will be held 5:15-7 p.m. Wednesday, April 11, at the outdoor bleachers outside of the Joe Craft Center. Class size is limited. Anyone interested must pre-register at http://www.uky.edu/HR/wellness/bikeclass.html and sign a waiver to bring with them. Class will be cancelled in the event of bad weather.

Stuart Kearns, associate director of Transportation Services for Parking and Transportation Services and chair of the Bicycle Advisory Committee, believes that classes will provide a valuable tool for members of the UK community interested in learning or fine-tuning their bicycle skills. “Bicycles are a viable method of alternative transportation to and around campus," Kearns said. "Since bicycles are vehicles, it is important for cyclists to feel confident in their skills and knowledge of bike-related laws; these classes offer a learning opportunity for our students and employees.”

The High Street YMCA’s Better Biking Program will feature three classes utilizing nationally accredited League of American Bicyclists course content and instructors. The three classes — Traffic Skills 101, 201 and Commuter — will focus on giving cyclists the confidence, training and skills they need to ride safely. A modest fee is charged to cover course materials, but these fees are waived for University of Kentucky students with a valid student ID.

Traffic Skills 101 is recommended for adults and children over the age of 14. It will cover bicycle safety checks, fixing a flat and crash-avoidance techniques. The 8-hour course will be held in four sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:30-7:30 p.m. from March 26 - April 4 and April 16 – 25. The curriculum will also be taught as a one-day class on Saturday, March 31 and Saturday April 14, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The course fee is $20.

Traffic Skills 201 is for more advanced students, and will include fitness education, night riding and advanced traffic negotiation. The class consists of four sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays, 6-7:30 p.m., May 14-23. The course fee is $25.

The Commuter class is for adult cyclists who wish to explore the possibility of commuting to work or school via bike. Topics will include route selection, cargo and clothing and foul-weather riding. It will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30-7 p.m. on April 3 and 5, and again on May 1 and 3. The course fee is $10.

To learn more about these classes, contact the High Street YMCA at (859) 254-9622. Participants may register at the High Street YMCA, located at 239 East High Street, or online at www.ymcaofcentralky.org/branches/high-street-ymca. To learn more about the Bicycle Advisory Committee, visit www.sustainability.uky.edu/BAC.

MEDIA CONTACT:  Kathy Johnson, (859) 257-3155 or kathy.johnson@uky.edu