About Us
The Business
Safer Cycling Calgary is a Calgary owned and operated business dedicated to delivering cycling courses to people of all ages. It is our belief that cycling is a critical life skill and just knowing how to get balanced and pedal isn’t the end of learning: there’s a lot more to learn and we have courses to teach you. At Safer Cycling Calgary, we value your safety when you’re riding your bike. It’s for this reason that we offer a number of different courses, depending on your age, level of ability, and cycling goals. Whether you want to learn to ride a bike for the first time, are an experienced bicycle commuter, or something in between, we have a course that will teach you something.
We are the only business in Alberta offering a full range of bicycling courses to the public.
Current course offerings:
- First Time is a learn to ride course for those who haven't yet learned how to ride a bike. For children (age 4-13) or adults (14 and up).
- Beginner, the pathway course is for adults (14 and up) who can already ride but aren't confident enough to ride on the pathways yet.
- Novice is a short course for cyclists age 7 and up (including adults) to learn basic handling skills and be introduced to very quiet residential roads.
- Intermediate, the most valuable course we offer, will teach cyclists how to ride on residential roads. Because bike infrastructure will never go from every home to every destination, you will have to ride on the road at some point. For kids (age 9-15), adults (16 and up), or families. Summer day camps, too!
- Advanced, for adults (16 and up), is a progression from Intermediate, enabling cyclists to ride on busier roads including downtown.
Founded in 2011, the team at Safer Cycling Calgary have now taught over 660 people how to ride a bike and improved the skills of over 200 cyclists. We have seen first hand the power of the bicycle: this simple machine is terrifying, joyful, challenging, empowering, liberating and a ridiculous amount of fun. Learning how to ride a bike requires a willingness to override one’s fear of falling, and learn to use the body in ways unlike anything else. Once balance is mastered, then the cyclist must learn how to control the bicycle and rules for riding the bicycle. Finally comes the freedom to propel oneself along, literally feeling the wind in your face (and the rest of the weather) and using only your muscles to transport yourself on incredible journeys or routine travels.
The team at Safer Cycling Calgary has seen it all: tiny 4 year olds through octogenarians; tears of panic and tears of joy. Mostly we’ve seen the thrill of learning new skills and the joy a bicycle brings.
You don’t know what you don’t know about cycling, but we can teach you what we know.
Meet The Team
Melissa Malejko is the owner and a Certified Cycling Instructor. Certified since 2011, I am currently the only instructor with SCC offering the full range of courses.
I have taught over 540 people how to ride a bike in the last 12 years with the youngest being 4 and the oldest 84. In addition, I have taken over 220 people on the road through courses that I was involved in. As a founding Director of Cycling Instructors Association of Canada (CIAC), I can now offer the Instructor Training course as a Course Conductor. My city bike is a Norco Plateau (nearly the same as pictured to the right but beige in colour) 
and I also have an older Norco Bigfoot for mountain biking. You'll be able to recognize me because I always wear a zebra helmet cover.
On a more personal level, I am a born and raised Calgarian, mom to one wonderful daughter, passionate about active transportation, and a pet lover (currently have a cat with moderate-severe cerebellar hypoplasia). When I'm not teaching courses, you may find me volunteering at my daughter's school, fostering animals (mostly kittens and cats), gardening, camping, watching CFL football games, walking or hiking, biking for fun (city or mountain), snowshoeing, downhill skiing or ice skating (depending on the season).
My parents bought me a bike with training wheels for my 7th birthday - in January!! I did a lot of laps of the basement before it was nice enough to take it outside. I don't remember the process of taking off the training wheels, but it happened that year, because 2 days before my school picture in September, I fell off and cut my lip and skinned my leg pretty badly (school photo as evidence). It didn't stop me, and despite taking many other falls, I've been riding on 2 wheels ever since.
I believe in life-long learning and that there is always something new to learn. My personal goals include: learn how to do a wheelie (on my mountain bike), kick my fear of the balance beam at the Chestermere bike park, and attempt/master weave poles on my bike. I have completed a MOOC on concussions and the NCCP Let's Ride & Basic Cycling Skills courses as well as taking a couple of marketing courses. Completing one of my other goals, in January 2021 I became a Level 1 Certified Ski Instructor and began teaching people how to ski. Unfortunately, due to an injury, I have been unable to teach skiing since March 2022, but I am planning to get back at it asap.
Please don't ask me to choose a favourite course: I just can't! Having met over 600 people in First Time courses, I've learned about my own privilege - and luck - and have become more grateful to be Canadian as well as to have had the opportunities my parents gave me as a child; I've heard about how not being able to ride a bike has been a challenge for many but I've seen so many smiles and pure joy when lifelong goals were achieved. Being able to pass on tips and tricks and teach skills in progressive courses has pushed me to become a better cyclist, too, and it's difficult to beat the feeling of being part of a chlid's journey from timid and uncertain to confidently riding on the road by themselves. While the most physically demanding, witnessing the transformation that occurs when a more experienced cyclist learns how to ride on challenging roads downtown is definitely worthwhile. Education is difficult to quantify and often seen as less valuable than more physical - and visible - things, like infrastructure and helmet rules, but nothing could be farther from the truth in my opinion: education is the most valuable tool we have in the world. You take education everywhere you go, it always costs less, and it's effects reach farther. I am passionate about all the courses I offer and aim to share that passion with anyone who is willing to listen.