Free Cycle Training

I first enquired about the free cycle training that Lewisham offers some time ago but it is only since I've had more time available that I actually got round to booking a lesson. Any one who lives, works or studies in the borough is eligible for a free 2 hour lesson and you can choose when and where in the borough to have it.

Before we started the lesson, the instructor gave my bicycle a quick inspection to make sure it was roadworthy and told me what I needed to check on a regular basis. My bicycle passed the test but I learnt that I probably need a new back tyre and that I ought to be doing slightly more than a quick pinch of the tyres each time I get my bike out. We also had a short chat about my cycling experience and what I wanted to get out of the lesson to make sure it could be tailored to my needs.

Then we were off.  The first part of the lesson was on quiet residential roads. The instructor rode behind me and directed me through various left and right turns so she could check how I positioned myself on the road (too close to parked cars), whether I signalled clearly (usually) and how often I checked behind me (not quite often enough).

After a quick discussion about what I needed to do differently in terms of my road positioning, we focused on the types of situation I'd identified concerns about. I particularly wanted to gain greater confidence in turning right at large multi-lane roundabouts and we spent most of the second part of the lesson practicing this.

I'm a relatively experienced cyclist and you would probably get the most out of a lesson like this if you were new to cycling in London or hadn't cycled much recently and wanted something to give you more confidence. However, I still felt I learnt some useful tips, particularly about positioning myself more centrally in the lane when waiting to turn at junctions and about keeping a good distance away from parked cars.

Most other boroughs offer something similar. Details of some of them are here or look on the cycling or road safety sections of your borough's website.