Rider Education Series

Rider Education Series

By Barry Goettl

The current San Antonio Wheelmen Rider Education Series (RES) program was developed and implemented by Samuel Perez in 2006. Since then, 13 classes have been held. RES graduates have become valuable members of our club and hold the president, executive vice president, secretary and treasurer positions on the Wheelmen board while additional RES graduates serve the club in the key areas of social events coordinator, advertising and bicycle education. In addition, a large number of the RES graduates have served as training ride leaders for the RES program.

The adult introduction course, which was originally called the Beginning Rider course, was changed to Introduction to Road Riding course in late 2009. A committee met in late November to review the RES program and develop changes to improve this successful program. The committee considered the difficulty some students have in attending six consecutive Saturday classes and the different goals that students have for the course, such as riding distance.

The committee recommended dividing Introduction to Road Riding into two courses (Road Riding 101 and 201) with a two-week break between the two. This proposal was presented to the SAW board, which approved the changes for implementation this year.
Here is a summary of the courses:

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Road Riding 101

  • Prerequisites: None, new rider or returning rider
  • Duration: four weeks.
  • Week 1: Meet in an empty parking lot (or BikeWorld if it’s cold)
    • Do helmet fitting, bike fitting, bike check, instruction on safety and communications, fix a flat demo.
    • Short skills ride (riding around cones, basic stopping, etc.)
  • Week 2: Ride Hollywood Park
    • Student fix a flat drill, and instruction on nutrition/hydration
    • 15-mile ride at a moderate pace
  • Week 3: Start ride at Mission San Jose and ride southeast of San Antonio
    • Instruction on bicycle gear and map reading
    • 20- to 25-mile ride with some hills
  • Week 4: Start ride at Mission San Jose and ride southeast of San Antonio
    • Instruction on chain cleaning
    • 25- to 30-mile ride with hills

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Road Riding 201

  • Prerequisite: Graduate of an earlier six-week RES class or Road Riding 101, or one year of riding experience
  • Duration: three weeks, scheduled to begin two weeks after Road Riding 101
  • Week 1: Start ride at Cibolo, Bullis Park, Judson High School or Mission San Jose
    • Instruction/practice on emergency stops
    • 25- to 30-mile ride with hills
  • Week 2: Start ride at Cibolo, Bullis Park, Judson High or Mission San Jose
    • Instruction/practice on bicycle control at slow speeds (or another appropriate topic)
    • 35- to 40-mile ride with hills
  • Week 3: Start ride at Cibolo, Bullis Park, Judson High or Mission San Jose
    • Instruction/practice on emergency maneuvers (or another appropriate topic)
    • 40- to 50-mile graduation ride

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Schedule for 2010 Road Riding 101/201 classes:

Three Introduction to Road Riding 101/201 classes have been scheduled for this year. Each class will be limited to 30 students. A fourth class will be scheduled if all students desiring to take the courses cannot be accommodated in the three scheduled classes. The classes have been scheduled so each 101/201 series will be completed prior to a major cycling event.

  • Class #1: Finish 101/201 in time for Easter Hill Country Tour (April 2-4)
    • Road Riding 101: Jan. 30 – Feb. 20
    • Break: Feb. 27 – March 6
    • Road Riding 201: March 13 – March 27
  • Class #2: Finish 101/201 in time for Tour de Cure (May 22-23)
    • Road Riding 101: March 13 – April 10 (April 3 off for Easter)
    • Break: April 17 – April 24
    • Road Riding 201: May 1 – May 15
  • Class #3: Finish 101/201 in time for MS150 Ride to the River (Oct. 9-10)
    • Road Riding 101: July 31 – Aug. 21
    • Break: Aug. 28 – Sept. 11 (Sept. 4 off for Labor Day weekend)
    • Road Riding 201: Sept. 25 – Oct. 2
  • Class #4: Will be an “overflow” class starting on Oct.16 if we have students on a waiting list

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Intermediate Class:

An intermediate class is being developed and will be scheduled later. This class will be held on six consecutive Saturdays at the regularly scheduled Wheelmen rides (but will not be integrated with the Wheelmen rides). The first class ride will be about 40 miles at a 14 mph average speed and the rides will be about 5 to 10 miles longer each week. There will be advanced drills and road/home repair lessons taught each week at the ride. Prerequisites will include: graduate of the six-week RES class; or graduate of Road Riding 101 and 201; or one year of extensive riding experience. Watch the SAW website and The Pedaler for further information on the intermediate class.

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Class Fees:

  • Road Riding 101: $15
  • Road Riding 101/201 sequence: $20
  • Road Riding 201: $10
  • Intermediate class: TBD
  • Non-Wheelmen members will pay an additional $20 one-year membership fee

We are seeking an experienced club member to organize and lead the intermediate class. The club is also looking for experienced riders to help with the Road Riding 101/201 classes as Training Ride Leaders (TRL). Volunteer to help new club members learn to ride safely and to enjoy our sport or to help intermediate riders increase their skills. Assisting with the Rider Education Series classes is a fun and very rewarding experience. Anyone interested in serving as a TRL should contact Barry Goettl at bikeeducation@sawheelmen.com.

Riders interested in taking the Road Riding 101 and 201 classes should contact info@sawheelmen.com to get on the waiting list. Enroll promptly. There is also a waiting list for the intermediate class, so if you are interested send your name, email and phone number to info@sawheelmen.com. Those on the waiting list get first opportunity to sign up for the classes.

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