Safer Cycling Calgary News Blog

In this morning's very hands-on demonstration, participants will learn how to deal with a flat tire, including how to remove the tire from the rim, how to determine the cause of the flat, patching a tube (every participant will get a real tube to patch), and reassembling the wheel. We will also record the size of each bikes tires to help parents find a spare tube to carry along for the remainder of the week.

I have quite a large collection of tubes in my patch demo bag, ranging from a 12" to a few 26" tubes: they're real tubes but the holes in them were made with scissors or a knife. Most participants realize quickly that patching a tube takes more effort than they expected, and get frustrated when they sand their knuckles, but are excited when their patch worked. Sometimes they don't work, as Susan discovered, which is a learning moment as well: we discovered that the glue wasn't smeared on the spot where the hole actually was! It's so hard to keep track of the hole once you start sanding the tube. 

Using my bike as a demonstration was fine when I had the original tires on my bike, but my replacement tires need to be filled up to 55psi to seat properly on the rim: this is very difficult to do with the little pump I carry with my bag. A non-camp Intermediate participant, Melvin, was a small 9 year old who wanted to fill his tires up to the maximum printed on the tire: 65psi. Using my full-size floor pump, it wasn't too difficult to get the first tire to 30psi, but reaching 35psi involved Melvin putting most of his body weight on the pump: when I asked if he still wanted to go to 65, his shy response was "35 is fine." LOL Participants in the camp take turns inflating the tire of whatever bike we choose to demonstrate with.

Once complete, we all go wash our hands as changing a tire is always a dirty job. 

As we start our lunch break, I load up the absolutely most cheesy video I have ever seen. Made in 1989, sponsored by Triaminic - yes the cough syrup company - it is about as ridiculous as you'd expect for it's era, but it has many important lessons and the songs make it memorable. 

The entire afternoon is dedicated to learning essential handling skills. I do not include the full list here. 

First, we complete an ABCD & Me Quick bike check to identify any problems with the bikes, repair what can be repaired (flat tires are common), and make note of things that may be a problem as the week progresses. Each participant gets a bike evaluation sheet at the end of the day, indicating any major problems with the bike. In previous years, participants did not submit photos of their bike before the course began, leading to Rukshana arriving with a bike that was at least 2 sizes too small for her. The condition of the bike was ok, but I could not allow her to continue with the rest of the camp due to the size of the bike. Participants now need to submit photos with their application to avoid this scenario: pulling a child from a camp results in absolute chaos for the parents, a huge disappointment for the child, and leaves a spot in the camp that could have been filled with another. 

Following the bike check and evaluation of bike fit, we work on handling skills, starting with the very simple-sounding straight-line riding, in which participants try to ride on the yellow lines painted in the rink. It's not as easy as it sounds, especially when we add in shoulder checks and hand signals. Nicolas provided plenty of entertainment as he learned this skill, singing his favourite song (Sharks by Imagine Dragons) as long as possible; if he "fell" off the line, he would say the sharks bit his toes. 

Using tennis balls cut in half ensures safety for learning a number of skills, including rock dodge and slalom, and act as markers for attempts at figure 8 in a box. Emmie was able to master the figure 8 in one camp, through absolute determination and continued practice: none of the others that week could complete the second turn (this is not a required skill at this level, as it's very challenging), and we were all very excited when she did. 

Another weird-sounding, but useful teaching tool which I bring to camp is a pool noodle cut into thirds. No one ever guesses what this is for and I refuse to spoil the surprise: you'll have to send your child to camp to find out. 

The skills that are taught today are also used to help determine whether a child is actually physically capable of continuing through the camp. Twins Hailey & Hannah had attended a First Time course the year before and were solid on straight line riding but Hannah struggled to lift her left hand off the handlebar in order to do a hand signal: without the ability to signal your intentions, negotiating a turn or lane change with automobile drivers is impossible and incredibly dangerous. As there was only one other participant in this week, I allowed Hannah to continue with the camp but she struggled all week with our rides (you didn't think I chose routes that don't turn, did you?). This was frustrating and stressful for Hannah, myself and my Assistant and is the reason I now ask parents to answer questions about their child's riding ability before camp starts - as this was the only skill Hannah struggled with, I would have sent her parent some information on how to practice this in advance of the camp, but children who are lacking in additional skills may not be ready for a camp. 

Our ride today weaves through 3 different communities, crosses 3 busy roads, rolls down a super fun hill, and includes stops at 2 different playgrounds before we reach our destination. 

At one of these playgrounds, we have been lucky enough to share space with a wild rabbit, who was gracious enough to let us enjoy their company in fairly close proximity while we snacked, before slowly hopping away and allowing the kids to play. The same playground on a later camp had a mystery resident who we got only a short glimpse of: I believe it was a marmot. Later I looked it up: the marmot family includes 15 species, one of which is the groundhog. All groundhogs are marmots but not all marmots are groundhogs: we may have seen a groundhog but since we're not sure, we're going with marmot. 

Depending on the size, ability and desires of the participants, they may get the opportunity to lead the group on the ride to our destination, receiving valuable experience making individual decisions and getting immediate feedback from me. Unless a participant, like Samantha, has a developmental disability which makes it unlikely that they can make safe decisions on their own, all participants will get an opportunity to lead the group today. Samantha was an excellent cyclist but did not have the capacity to fully understand the complexities of traffic at that time due to their disability: she will need supervision for a few more years but did very well within the group.

Our arrival in Fish Creek Park was met with little excitement by Terry, as his family lives across the street from the park and he and his dad spend numerous hours riding the trails here. Fortunately, the rest of the participants haven't spent as much time here, and Terry isn't used to chilling in the park, so our lunch spot held value for all. 

On one camp week, it had rained the evening before, and was a bit cool for wading in the creek, but the participants had lots of fun making mud pies, mud creatures and skipping rocks. My Assistant turned out to be amazing at skipping rocks, achieving at least 3 skips each time, even though the water was moving. Participant Bryan was a close second, getting 2-3 skips with most of his attempts. Jasmine made highly creative mud sculptures that we were a little sad to leave behind. 

If the weather is suitable, and bikes are capable, participants are given the option to do a little bit of single-track riding near our lunch spot. One week, the only participant who wanted to go was Nalia, a very athletic girl, so away we went, leaving the rest of the group with my Assistant. To our great surprise, the trail was blocked by a massive downed tree. It took some interesting thinking and team work, but we were able to get our bikes over the tree and get back on the trail. The week it had rained, it was too muddy to ride the single track so we rode some of the gravel trails instead. There have been a few "perfect" camps where the conditions were great, all bikes were suitable and all participants were willing to try it: Leslie The Jedi, Susan, Nicolas and Evan had never ridden a single track trail before and despite their worries, left the trail with massive grins on their faces, wanting to do it again.

All good things must come to an end, and our time in Fish Creek Park is no exception. After ensuring that everyone has a full water bottle and empty bladder, we may take a detour to a different part of the park before beginning our ride back. Unfortunately, the ride is overall uphill, but we have good music powering us there. Hailey wanted to lead, but only if she could have me play Pharrell Williams's Happy, which I was more than happy to do. Participants who haven't yet led the group are encouraged to do so on this ride, for half or a full song on my playlist. 

If the weather is suitable, we stop at at least 2 playgrounds on the way back, and I try to get photos and videos of the group riding a particular stretch of road near one of them. Just after this stretch, we cross a busy road as vehicles via traffic light: this might be the most frustrating light I've ever encountered as the light cycle is a full two and a half minutes long and despite being wired for a sensor and next to an LRT station, there is absolutely no way to speed up the change. The approach to this light is slightly uphill and though I've ridden this road hundreds of times, I've made the light less than 10 times. Standing with our bikes while waiting for the light to change is an exercise in patience but since we're close to "home" it's not unbearable. 

We ride back up the hill that we first rode yesterday, but from a different direction, making it a more difficult climb. No camp participants have had to walk this hill, though, not even Amara without gears on her bike. Allison's bike was working for this hill, and Ryder, Terry & Leslie arrived at the top looking as if they hadn't even climbed a hill at all! 

Crossing one final busy road, we enjoy the slight downhill towards the community centre where I always push myself and the participants to see how fast they can go using high gears: my top speed here is 34km/h, which sadly comes to an end far too soon as we need to turn. 

Another day complete, I send home tired, happy and proud participants, ready for tomorrow's adventures. 

Unfortunately, Allison's bike decided to have a complete meltdown, first dropping the chain again, then actually seizing up completely. I called her parent to come get her, and while we waited, participants did their multiple choice knowledge evaluation. This is not normally when we do this, but it worked out pretty well. I connected with Allison, and her new bike, a few weeks later to complete this ride.

Our first stop is supposed to be near Variety park, where willing participants have an opportunity to ride a pump track if they desire. My bike is not suitable, so I keep watch. Jason slipped on a corner and scraped his elbow, but was patched up with a bandage from my first aid kit. One day, an adult was riding the pump track with incredible skill: the whole group was mesmerized as he went around and around with ease.

Biking is a lot of exertion and though we haven't ridden far yet, I always check the saskatoon bushes near the pump track to see if we can have a little snack. It's tough to beat a handful of fresh saskatoon berries. Before we move on, we make sure everyone has bug spray on, because getting eaten by mosquitos is not fun and there's lots of them up ahead.

Our next stop is the top of the giant hill before the Weaselhead Natural Area. The ride there is one of the most beautiful sections of pathway that I know of and I'm always in awe at the subtle changes as the seasons progress.

Riding down the hill is a bit stressful, but requires no pedaling. 

After recovering from the hill climb, we find the water fountain and then the toilet, then continue out to the community to our road evaluation. 

After the evaluation, we head to another playground, where we eat lunch, play for a while, reapply sunscreen and then cross a pedestrian overpass and make a straight shot to the ice cream store. 

After crossing the bridge, I hear a faint call of "mechanical!!" from my Assistant, far at the back and not passed forward by the participants. Turns out, my Assistant has a flat tire. A learning experience, as I challenge the participants to help. We discover that the tube has an irreparable hole, at the bottom of the valve stem, but luckily, my tires are the same size, so I can use my spare tube and in a few minutes we are back on the road. If this had been a participant's bike, or the tire had been a different size, we would have had to phone for a rescue - this is why I encourage everyone to carry a spare tube that fits their bike. 

I buy everyone an ice cream, once we arrive at the store and secure our bikes. With 72 flavours to choose from, I challenge participants to try something they haven't had before, rather than sticking with vanilla, chocolate or bubblegum. A few years ago, a participant in a First Time course told me about Wet Paint ice cream. This horrible-sounding flavour is amazingly colourful, with each colour having a unique and delicious flavour. Who knew that Wet Paint would taste good? I get a different flavour every week, and though it's been difficult to choose my favourite, it's a close race between Saskatoon Pie, Blueberry Cheesecake and Moon Mist - which was a brand new tub of solid purple when I asked for a cone, and audible gasps were made by me and the participants when the ice cream scoop revealed a beautiful blend of purple, yellow and blue underneath. 

At this point of the day, there's often a high chance of thunderstorms bubbling up, and getting caught in a storm isn't my idea of fun, so if the weather is looking like it might turn, we head for "home" now and complete the multiple choice evaluation in the safety of the building. If it looks good, we will complete the evaluation now, while resting in the shade of the park.