CHATHAM COUNTY4-H & YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

The Basics of Bicycling

A curriculum for elementary level bicyclist training
Produced for the North Carolina Department of Transportation Bicycle Program
(NCDOT Division of Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation)

Chatham County Program sponsored by Chatham County 4-H

Welcome to the "Basics of Bicycling" Program

For this program Chatham County 4-H will provide: Bicycles Training manual and training Materials for course lay-out

Beyond the statistics, bicycling education is important because your students' bicycles are their very first vehicles. On their bikes, they begin their first independent use of the road, bodily exploring the world around. And, at this age, they are developing the foundation for their lifelong understanding of traffic. They will use skills and knowledge learned in this program while bicycling, walking, and later, driving a motor vehicle.

But bicycling is more than getting around. It is one of the best and most enjoyable forms of aerobic exercise known. And it is something that your students will enjoy just as much, if not more, as they grow older.

Finally, young people simply enjoy riding their bicycles. You will be pleased at how attentive they can be and how much progress they can make.

What This Program Teaches

It is important, however, to keep in mind this is an introduction and will be, for most of the students, the first formal instruction they have ever received. Students will not become expert cyclists as a result of this program alone. Expertise in bicycling, as in many other sports, requires study and practice. Such practice should take place on the road and should be led by skilled traffic-wise bicyclists.

How it Satisfies Educational Needs

What's Involved

In addition to class time, you will need time to prepare the lessons. Teaching the program requires you to handle a few more logistical tasks than are required for some classes you teach. The most significant involve the bicycles and helmets. You and each student in your class will need a bicycle helmet for five of the seven lessons. You will also need about 20 bikes for these on-bike lessons. These bikes can be shared among the students in your class by pairing students of the same height together and rotating them in and out during the various exercises. This program works most effectively with 12 to 20 students on bicycles during the five on-bike lessons. You will need to decide whether you will provide the bicycles or ask the students to bring their own.

Next, the course requires you to create or acquire certain props. Most of these are needed to make lessons 5 through 7 more realistic. For example, you will need cardboard images of cars to mount on half of the bicycles. These need not be elaborate and can be created by the students during an art lesson. The materials and props lists on the next page give you an idea of what's needed.

We also recommend you videotape much of the on-bike lessons with a camcorder. This will allow you to compare students' abilities at the beginning of the course with those at the end. The videotape can be used as a diagnostic tool for both you and your students and can be shown to other teachers and administrators who might be interested in the program.

Finally, you may need to either learn certain bicycling skills or find someone to help who has those skills. For many of the on-bike lessons students need to see the maneuvers demonstrated before they can successfully perform them.

What you'll need :

TIME

Each of the five on-bike lessons will require three assistants to help you. You may wish to recruit parents by including a call for volunteers in your school newsletter or on the permission slip you ask them to sign.

SPACE

EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS

• Instructors bicycle
• 20 student bicycles: ideally "BMX" single gear bikes with coaster brakes and 20" wheels
• Basic bike tools (2 sets): crescent wrenches, phillips head and regular screw drivers, tire pump, allen wrenches
• 6 spare bicycle inner tubes for 20" wheel bikes(if students bring their own bikes, you may need a range of tube sizes)
• Bicycle helmets that meets the ANSIA90.4 standard or the Snell Memorial Foundation standard for each student and instructor.
• Surgical, painter's, or cycling caps for each student to wear under each helmet, if students aren't using their own helmet
• Small zip lock bag for each student, labeled with his/her name to store caps between lessons
• VCR and TV monitor (VHS format)
• Video camcorder, tripod and 4 hours blank tape per class 12 rolls of 2" masking tape
• 1 or 2 12" tape measures
• Supplies to create props
• Student copies of handouts

PROPS

• car fronts
• 2 fences
• 4 one way signs
• 2 traffic lights
• 2 large flash cards
• road hazards
• 2 bushes
• 4 stop signs
• yield sign
• 2 do not enter signs
• 1 caution sign
• 1 RR crossing sign

Risk Management and Potential Liability

Before the course
Require permission slips of all participants
Acquire an ANSI Z90.4 or Snell approved bicycle helmet for each participant
Require all participants to either use bikes provided as part of the course or submit their bikes to a mechanical check at the start of the course
You may want to discuss the Basics of Bicycling course with your school district's risk manager

During the Course
Require all participants, instructors, and assistants to wear helmets whenever riding
Require all participants, instructors, and assistants to wear sneakers or closed-toe shoes.
Use the recommended number of assistants for each of the on-bike lessons.
Use measures such as the "whistle stop" to maintain control of the class.
Set on-bike courses up away from motor vehicles and pedestrian traffic.
Require participants to wear pants or shorts for on-bike sessions. Dresses, skirts and other loose clothing or jewelry could be hazardous.
Require participants with long pants to use pant straps, roll up their right pant leg or tuck it into their socks.

Program Structure

• Follow the rules of the road.
• Describe the most important traffic laws they must follow:
  • Obey traffic signs and lights
  • Ride with traffic, on the right side of the road.
  • Ride at night only with a working headlight and tail light or rear reflector.
  • Yield to pedestrians and all emergency vehicles.
• Identify key traffic signals and state their meaning, including stop, one-way, do not enter, and yield signs; and red, green, yellow, and flashing red and flashing yellow traffic lights.
• Ride Cooperatively
  • State two reasons why communication between road users is important.
  • Communicate with others using eye contact and hand signals.
  • Describe four ways road users communicate with each other such as turn signals and road position.
  • Negotiate with other road users using communication skills to determine who will yield.
  • Identify high risk situations and respond to them appropriately without endangering themselves or others.
• Handle Their Bikes Skillfully
  • Ride straight with one or both hands on the handlebars.
  • Ride straight while briefly looking back over left shoulder.
  • Stop on demand without swerving, falling over, or colliding with anything or anyone. Swerve in a controlled manner to avoid a hazard.
  • Scan ahead and behind while riding in a straight line.
• Use Proper Equipment
  • Identify the appropriate bicycle equipment and clothing for riding.
  • Bicycle mechanical condition of a bicycle.
  • Bicycle helmet fit and positioning.
  • Conspicuous clothing.

This page was created by Paulette Thomas, County Extension Secretary II

Created: July 6, 2002 updated March 30, 2005