League Cycling Instructors are certified to teach the League of American Bicyclists Smart Cycling curriculum

Over the weekend of April 10th, BikePGH hosted a League of American Bicyclists (LAB) League Cycling Instructor (LCI) training seminar. With sixteen new instructors trained and certified, this was BikePGH’s largest seminar ever!

What is a League Cycling Instructor?

League Cycling Instructors are certified to teach the League of American Bicyclists Smart Cycling curriculum to help people feel more secure riding a bike, to create a mindset that bikes should be treated as vehicles, and to ensure bicyclists know how to ride safely and legally. The LCI training seminar focuses on teaching and demonstration techniques used with future students both on the road and in the classroom. The seminar’s emphasis is on how to teach bicycle safety and skills so as to provide increased comfort and confidence for new and returning bicyclists of all ages. LCIs are ideally suited to teach cycling best practices in schools and in the community and to safely lead group rides.

The League Cycling Instructor (LCI) Seminar

With the goal of training our own staff as well as educators and ride leaders from partner organizations and the general public, BikePGH hosted a now biannual LCI Training Seminar. (Read about our 2022 and 2024 seminars.) This year’s cohort represented BikePGH as well as POGOH bike share, Pitt Recreation/ The Bike Cave, Venture Outdoors, Major Taylor Major Force, Kidical Mass Pittsburgh, Montessori Walk and Roll, Ride Like a Girl, and for the third time led by master League Cycling Coach, Neil Walker. After rain canceled our Friday night ride and visibility demonstration, we were fortunate to have warm and sunny conditions for the weekend’s on-bike activities. Big thanks to POGOH for letting us use their spacious new Larimer office for the entire weekend!

Presentations and Parking Lot Drills

The intensive twenty-three hour seminar focused on mastering and teaching the concepts and skills of safe vehicular cycling. Each candidate presented and evaluated each other’s presentations on topics from The League’s Smart Cycling curriculum. Topics included principles of traffic law, signaling and lane positioning, gear and accessories for all-weather riding, proper helmet fit and usage, and many others. Every candidate also learned to set-up and teach The League’s Parking Lot Drills. The Parking Lot Drills teach basic riding skills as well as hazard avoidance maneuvers in a controlled environment. 

LCI Candidates Test Their Ride-Leading Skills in Traffic 

Our Saturday session also featured what Coach Neil referred to as “playing in traffic” where groups of cyclists negotiated a busy Homewood intersection from different directions. The culmination of the three-day seminar was the road test where the LCI candidates rode in three groups demonstrating effective ride-leading skills such as navigation, communication, pacing, and lane positioning. Throughout this rigorous seminar, our LCI candidates demonstrated a wealth of knowledge, experience, creativity, and skill as educators and ride leaders, and we can’t wait to see all the great work they will do in Pittsburgh and beyond! 

Thanks to all our candidates as well as our League coach Neil Walker and assisting LCI’s: Sarah Scherk, Bobby Abramson, Jacob Evangelista, and Robin Woods!

Congratulations to the 2026 Class!

• Lauren Abt
• Jeanne Allen
• Jenna DeMore
• Mel Fetsko
• Jen Hayes
• Eryn Hughes
• Alan Karelitz
• Lorelei Lehman
• Moses Lemann
• Timothy McCorkle
• Atticus Ryan
• Andreas Vogt
• Jordan Wilson
• Carley Young
• James Yusczk
• Vincent Zeng