Course participants reach New Horizons
Julie Fitzgerald and Peter Taft attended our first New Horizons course of the year and thoroughly enjoyed it.
New Horizons is our course for adults who can ride but need to improve their confidence and cycling technique to be able to commute, go touring or just have fun on their bicycle.
“I can't tell you enough how much I enjoyed this course and I was able to achieve my goals” says Julie. She had some clear reasons for joining the course. She wanted to learn how to ride safely in a group, which she achieved during the classes. She was also keen to learn basic bike maintenance. “Yesterday I checked my tyres for a ride today only to find one of the tyres was flat. I had suspected it had a slow leak, but it had sped up!” says Julie. “I changed the tube all by myself! I would never have even attempted it before attending the New Horizons course.” Julie’s third goal was to feel comfortable riding regularly and in new places, which she is now doing. “My friends and I have started riding different routes, so far in Belconnen and Gungahlin, quite foreign to me until our course.” she says.
“I also learned so many things that I didn't know I didn't know” continues Julie. “I was not an unconfident rider but there were many tweaks that I needed, either explicitly, or just riding with the group - bike seat height, helmet fit, properly checking my bike before a ride EVERY time, having basic items on the bike, emergency stops, how to change a tyre, riding and group riding techniques, steady cadence, I could go on and on.”
Julie also found the booklet she received with the course very useful as she was able to review the skills covered during the course, “but the best part, by far, was how much fun each session was!” Julie says.
Peter also had a very positive experience. “I learned a whole lot about things I'd never really thought about when riding on my own, like pedalling with the front of the foot rather than the back, using lower gears, changing gears and keeping cadence constant, rather than the other way around, keeping the inside pedal up and the outside pedal down when cornering, proper timing for tyre pressure and chain grease maintenance.”
During the course, Peter was also encouraged to join a Pedal Power Social Ride. He did and really enjoyed it. “I look forward to going regularly now” he says. The next New Horizons course starts on 7 August and enrolments are open now.
This article was first published in the June 2024 edition of Canberra Cyclist digital magazine, availble to Pedal Power members only. Join now to receive future editions.
