The city of Durango is partnering with the League of American Bicyclists to offer a free course aimed at helping new and experienced riders improve their riding confidence and learn safe commuting practices.
According to LAB’s website, providing biking education has been a major part of the nonprofit’s work since the 1970s. The goal is to help people broaden their cycling skills, create more confidence when riding and to give more experienced bikers tools to help teach other riders in their community how to bike safely.
The Durango course will be taught by LAB-certified instructor Kaitlin Mattos. The classes are free and open to the public, and will unfold over two classroom sessions and one on-the-bike session. The goal, according to city spokesman Tom Sluis, is to help people understand safe cycling practices when commuting through Durango.
In an email to The Durango Herald, Sluis said it is an effort to provide broad educational opportunities at no personal cost, in a way that positively impacts cycling culture and creates responsible bikers. That, he said, will improve safety, fun and the community’s perception of biking.
“It advances our standings as a bicycle-friendly community,” Sluis wrote. “These classes are geared more toward the interested-but-cautious adult who wants to advance their skills, but can be taken by and is useful for people of all ages and ability levels.”
For more information and to register for the course, visit GetAroundDurango.com. The classroom sessions will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday (Oct. 14 and 16), and the bike lesson will be from 1 to 5 p.m. Oct. 18.
Participants are asked to bring water, snacks and writing materials to the classroom sessions, and for the on-the-bike session, loaner bicycles and safety equipment can be made available to those in need.
sedmondson@durangoherald.com