A Beginner & Advanced Cyclist Weigh in on the CyclingSavvy Basics Course

FSU students, faculty, and staff now have access to the nationally recognized CyclingSavvy Basics Course for FREE on Canvas! CyclingSavvy has helped thousands of cyclists and drivers learn new skills and strategies to share the road. The basics course provides an introduction to key concepts for riding safely while commuting to and around campus.

We know the CyclingSavvy Basics Course can teach us a lot about how to safely navigate our shared roadways. However, we were curious to learn just how helpful the course was to both beginner and advanced cyclists. So, we sat down with our resident beginner cyclist and Academics and Partnerships Coordinator, Laurelin, and our office bike expert and Engagement Coordinator, Cyndel, to hear their thoughts after they both completed the course.

Cyndel and Laurelin, how was your overall experience going through the CyclingSavvy course?

C: I was honestly surprised! I liked the course a lot. As someone who has been commuting by bike for a year and a half, I wasn't sure it was going to be engaging for me. I liked that the course is easy to understand and that I could work through it at my own pace. I was able to pause the videos in between sessions or repeat things I did not understand the first time.

L: I never thought I’d be the type of person who rode her bike to work. I biked as a kid, riding around the neighborhood with my sisters, and I rented bikes every now and again on vacation. But I never saw myself as a serious cyclist – and definitely not someone who’d need to be aware of cycling safety. 

When I moved to Tallahassee and began a job in the sustainability field, I wanted to do my best to walk the walk (so to speak). I didn’t want to just advocate for sustainable transportation, I wanted to experience it for myself! So I bought a bike and began commuting a couple times a week to work as a cyclist. The experience was eye-opening! I never imagined that my commute to work could be fun. It’s genuinely thrilling to fly down hills and feel the wind in my face as I ride to the office.

Then there’s drivers. It’s scary and intimidating to be a newbie cyclist on the road for the first time, and sometimes people driving by in cars don’t know that bicycles should be given at least three feet clearance or that they’re allowed to ride in the road. (It’s safer than the sidewalk!)

I signed up for CyclingSavvy because I didn’t know what my rights are as a cyclist, how to ride defensively, or how to avoid road hazards. I had some experience on the road and knew what it was like to commute to and from work. But I wanted to feel more confident on my bicycle and be more aware of best practices that would keep me safe.

The CyclingSavvy course really worked for me because it broke down all of the concepts I needed to know into manageable chunks. I never felt overwhelmed by the material, and everything was presented in easy-to-follow videos with good visual aids. Did I memorize every single law related to cycling through the course? No, but I did get a good overall understanding of how I can be a safer cyclist as I continue to ride my bike around my new city. 

Laurelin, what was your biggest takeaway from the course material as a biking beginner?

As a beginner, the most impactful lesson for me was all about the rules of movement. Even when there are no traffic signs on the road, the rules of movement help establish right-of-way for vehicles traveling at different speeds. It was really interesting to learn how bicycles fit into the common sense rules of the road that we take for granted, and I especially took the lesson about “first come, first served” to heart. Just because I’m on a bicycle, that doesn’t mean I can jump the queue and make drivers pass me more than once.  

Cyndel, what was your biggest takeaway from the course as an experienced cyclist?

I think the biggest takeaway and reminder for me as an experienced cyclist is to be confident on the road. I think sometimes as cyclists we can be very aware that roads were not necessarily made for us and that can show up in the way we navigate roads, like unnecessarily yielding to cars or trying to sprint uphill to keep up with traffic. We are safest and best as cyclists when we remember we too have a right to the road, to take the full lane, and be present and alert. 

Cyndel, did you learn anything you didn’t know before? If so, what? If not, what was one refresher piece of information you appreciated?

I started commuting by bike for environmental sustainability reasons. Then, I fell in love with biking overall. I just kind of hopped on my bike and got myself to work one day. I utilized the rules of the road I knew from driving and watched other cyclists to learn the tricks of the trade. I really enjoyed CyclingSavvy providing some historical context to cycling I wouldn't have known from a practical experience standpoint. I also think the course refreshed and reinforced the rules of the road that I know so I can feel confident everywhere from a protected bike lane, to a road with sharrows.  

Laurelin, have you put any of the strategies you learned in the course into practice? Have you noticed a difference in your cycling?

I’ve definitely put the strategies I’ve learned into practice as I continue to cycle to and from work! I’m more aware of when I should use the bike lane and when I should transition into the middle of the road for my own safety. I obey the “first come, first served” rule and wait my turn in line at a stoplight just like a driver would in a car. I’m aware of my right to the middle of the road, and I’m not afraid to claim that space for my own safety. At the same time, I’m more aware of how my slower speeds impact traffic, and I try to move over and allow drivers to pass me whenever possible. 

Do you think this course is helpful for people who are not cyclists? Why?

C: Absolutely! I honestly think commuting by bike has made me a better, safer driver because I know how cyclists typically navigate the roads. For example, I know to check that there is not a cyclist in the bike lane beside me before making a right hand turn - or to go the extra mile and check my vehicle's blind spot before swinging open a door while parallel parked on a road. To be honest, I never really thought about this before being a cyclist. My personal safety had never been jeopardized by these actions. I was navigating a road that was designed with my vehicle in mind. I also know how scary and potentially detrimental having the above experiences are to new and prospective cyclists continuing to commute by bike. Taking CyclingSavvy can help you as a driver understand cyclists' actions on the road and anticipate what they should do so you can safely interact with them. 

L: CyclingSavvy is absolutely helpful for people who aren’t cyclists! Whether you own a car, ride a skateboard, or walk everywhere, it’s so important to be aware of pedestrians, cyclists, and other types of vehicles on the road. CyclingSavvy helps explain why cyclists do the things they do, which might not make sense to people who’ve never ridden a bike in traffic before. The course helps people better understand and predict cyclists’ actions, and that makes the roads a safer place for everyone!

Cyndel, would you recommend that other experienced cyclists take this course?

Absolutely! I think everyone has something to learn from this course. It is simple, practical, and reaffirming of my experience as a cyclist. It has reminded me to be confident and smart. It is free which makes it super accessible for students to learn how to safely navigate the road as a cyclist - which tends to be one of the largest barriers to getting on a bike to begin with! Overall, 10/10 do recommend!

Laurelin, would you recommend CyclingSavvy to other beginning cyclists?

I highly recommend CyclingSavvy to all beginning cyclists! It’s very important to be aware of the rules of the road – not only because you might get a ticket for riding in the wrong place but also for your own personal safety! The course explores lots of practical topics including traffic law, mandatory facility use, common crash types, and riding on the sidewalk. The modules are short and include many visual aids. And the lessons learned are incredibly valuable! 

Thank you both! Are there any final thoughts you’d like to share?

L: Overall, all cyclists should check out CyclingSavvy – even if you only pop in for a brief module or two, you’ll gain knowledge that could help save your life. Or at the very least, you’ll gain knowledge that will help you explain to the next curious driver why you shouldn’t be riding on the sidewalk, why it’s legal for you to be on the road even though you’re slower than the rest of traffic, and why it’s not always safer in the bike lane. 

FSU is proud to offer the CyclingSavvy Basics Course for FREE to students, faculty, and staff. To register for the course, follow this registration link: https://canvas.fsu.edu/enroll/R4F8CR. Everyone who completes the course is entered into a drawing to win awesome bike gear like cell phone holders and seat pouches!