Jennifer Allen ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) writes: SNIPPED
Thanks for a useful and informative article. I have a feeling that few cyclists are aware of the breadth of the syllabus of the CAN-BIKE II course, so I've taken the liberty of copying the following from the CfSC website: "CAN-BIKE II is the Canadian Cycling Association's most popular cycling course. Geared for intermediate to advanced riders, the course is designed to make riders safe and confident riding in almost all road, weather and traffic conditions. You'll be surprised what you'll learn. Topics include bike fit, maintenance, equipment, causes of cycling crashes and collisions, and negotiating multi-lane roadways, intersections, and merge and diverge lanes. This course is required for police and other bike patrol officers, teachers leading bicycle outings, and other employees using bicycles on the job." The OCA adds the following: "The course covers traffic theory as it applies to bikes, bike handling skills, defensive riding skills, collision avoidance techniques and traffic analysis skills. Basic equipment and maintenance are covered, as are commuting, touring and rural riding." It is certainly a mistake to view it purely as an "urban cycling" course. The technical content is significant - and there's also a review of riding techniques, cycling nutrition, fitness, history, etc, etc. In terms of information received vs time (or cost) it's one of the most intense courses I've ever experienced. For many cyclists it presents powerful challenges to the traditional cyclist-motorist status quo - and it's surprising how many cyclists have never analyzed these questions. I found teaching to be exhausting, always a challenge to fit all the material in. The first course I ever taught, jointly with Christine Jenkins, was given over three days to a class of teachers - so we were both pretty nervous at this professional appraisal of our teaching skills, let alone our cycling knowledge. At the end of the course one of the most telling comments was a comparison one of the class made with the drivers test - she freely admitted that after taking the course she could see several faults in her driving skills. It's not unusual for a student to acknowledge a significant change in their perception, behaviour and on-road confidence after completing the course. -- Peter James Ottawa, Ontario ------ To unsubscribe, send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Club Office: [EMAIL PROTECTED], (613) 230-1064 Web/mailing list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.cyberus.ca/~obcweb Newsletter: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.cyberus.ca/~obcweb/Newsletter ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?aVxiDo.a2i8p1 Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <A HREF=" http://topica.com/u/?aVxiDo.a2i8p1 "> AOL users click here.</A> T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
