Applications have closed for the Spring 2024 session
Stay tuned! We hope to offer more opportunities in the future.
How to Ride a Bike Classes
Do you want to learn how to ride a bike? Now is your chance to learn a new skill! The Green Commuter Program is offering free Adult Bike Riding classes to employees and students at UC Davis Health.
Classes are only available to active UC Davis Health employees and students.
No experience necessary! You do not even need a bike to participate. Bicycles and helmets will be provided for participants to use during the class.
Course Structure
Each session will consist of three classes, one preliminary virtual class on Zoom, and a two-day in-person riding course. Participants must be able to attend all three classes in the session. Riding Instruction classes will be held in-person at UC Davis Health (Sacramento campus).
Program Goals
UC Davis is well known for its strong cycling community, and we would like to strengthen that community at UC Davis Health too. We have found that many of our employees and students are among the 6% of the adult population who do not know how to ride a bike. By offering classes to teach adults how to ride a bike, our goal is to break down barriers that may prevent someone from choosing a more sustainable transportation option.
Not only will learning to ride a bike offer participants a life-changing new skill, but it will also provide participants with a new way to engage in healthy behaviors and reduce impact on the environment.
We hope to mitigate the feelings of shame, fear, and embarrassment that adults often feel when not knowing how to ride a bike, especially in a community like UC Davis that is so bike-centric. Learning to ride a bike will provide participants with a new sense of inclusion within our UC Davis community, along with a new sense of empowerment and confidence with this new skill.
But the impact does not stop there—we hope that awareness of this program will inspire others to get out and ride their bikes or teach their friends the joy of riding. Every single bike trip makes an impact on individual health, community health, and reducing our carbon footprint.
A special thank you to Healthy UC Davis
The classes are made possible by a grant awarded by Healthy UC Davis. The grant covers the costs of instruction and materials necessary for the class, including the bicycles that participants will use to learn how to ride, so that it is completely free to employees and students. Not only will learning to ride a bike offer participants a life-changing new skill, but it will also provide participants with a new way to engage in healthy behaviors and reduce impact on the environment.
Questions?
Feel free to reach out to Green Commuter Program Coordinators Sarah Janus stjanus@ucdavis.edu or Marissa Barber mnbarber@ucdavis.edu