FAIRHOPE, Ala. - This Sunday, Aug.7,  the conservation group Smart Coast will sponsor a course in bicycle safety called Traffic Skills 101, a Cycling Essentials training course.

Tracy Hale, education chair of AlaBike and Alabama LCI Coordinator, will lead the course instruction and is certified by the League of American Bicyclists (LAB), which developed the curriculum. She will be assisted by Larry Maurice, who is also LCI certified.

The program is designed to give cyclists the confidence they need to ride safely and legally in traffic or on a trail, a group news release stated.  The course covers bicycle safety checks, fixing a flat, on-bike skills and crash avoidance techniques and includes a student manual.

In an effort to expand the number of qualified potential instructors on the Alabama coast, Smart Coast is working with Hale and area cyclists interested in becoming League Certified Instructors (LCIs). 

“In order for Smart Coast to offer more frequent LAB course offerings including this Traffic Skills 101/Cycling Essentials, we need to build local capacity by having more local LCIs,” stated Charlene Lee of Smart Coast. “Smart Coast  is currently working with Tracy and the Smart Ride Committee to certify area cyclists interested in becoming LCIs, which will hopefully allow more frequent course offerings.”

The class will take place in Fairhope at the James P. Nix Center on Sunday, Aug. 7, from 8:30 a.m.to 2 p.m. Class size is limited to 24 and cost is $60.

Anyone interested in attending the Sunday class, future LAB courses or potentially becoming an LCI, should contact Lee at 928-2309 or info@smartcoast.org, and Hale at AlabamaLCI@gmail.com.