If you haven’t been on a bike for a while, or want to take your confidence and bike handling skills to a new level, then Adult Bike Skills training with Paul Odlin is for you.

Adult Bike Skills workshops are fully funded by Christchurch City Council and range from providing the basics to more advanced skills required for urban riding. Workshops are delivered in a series of three with each session building on the skills learnt from the previous.

Paul provides personalised advice in a supportive environment with the aim of giving you the skills and confidence to ride across different road environments. Workshops are done in small groups of two to six people. You can also arrange a group session of your own with whānau, friends or colleagues.

Sessions are open to anyone aged 16 years old and over. 

For more information please visit christchurchcyclecoaching.co.nz/workshops(external link)

To book your session, contact Paul on 027 252 2015 or paul@christchurchcyclecoaching.co.nz

Foundational skills

This workshop will get you riding independently with ease and confidence in a traffic-free environment. This session will take around 60 minutes.

This session will cover

  • How to check and fit a helmet.
  • Basic bike introduction and check.
  • Braking, using gears correctly and bike control.
  • Bike handling skills, look backs and signalling for those looking to progress to the next level.

Urban riding

Take your riding to the next level by embarking on shared paths and on road. This course goes through how to choose safe routes, on-road bike handling skills and how to communicate with other path/road users.

The course will start with practising some basic bike skills and a summary of the first workshop, before heading out to explore the local area by bike. By the end of the session you can expect to have learned skills which you can utilise to ride on shared paths, separated cycleways and urban roads. This session will take around 60 minutes.

This workshop covers:

  • An understanding of road signs, road rules and their relation to cyclists.
  • Learn about riding on a shared path and quiet roads including:
    • positioning
    • passing side roads and parked cars
    • turning left into and out of intersections

Riding in traffic with confidence

This course will include a summary of the previous workshops and covers basic road position and turning right and straight through intersections. It will then progress to busier roads and cover riding in on-road cycle lanes, negotiating traffic lights and more complex intersections. This session will take around 60 minutes.

This session will cover

  • Riding in traffic lights and on-road cycle lanes.
  • Travelling straight through an intersection and route planning.
  • Turning right into and out of intersections, in heavy traffic and the use of hook turns.
  • Complex intersections.

What you need to know

General

  • Registration is required for all courses to attend (due to limited capacity).
  • Location and other details will be sent to you once registered.

On the day

  • Please try to arrive 10 minutes before the course start time.
  • Courses are weather dependent.

What to bring

  • Your bike and helmet.
  • Comfortable clothing.
  • Appropriate shoes with a closed in toe such as sneakers (no jandals).
  • Sunscreen or rain jacket depending on the weather.
  • Water bottle and snacks.

Group Bookings

Get in touch with our instructor Paul Odlin to arrange a group booking.

Each course can be tailored to suit the knowledge and skills of the participants.

Here’s what some participants had to say

"Having not cycled for many years, the course offered an ideal opportunity to refresh my cycling skills. I was very happy with the pace of teaching, and what we were taught will be very useful. I found the course to be an ideal introduction to cycling road craft, it will enable me to use my bike more around Christchurch and discover all the cycle ways and small routes that car drivers can't use."

"Absolutely loving it. Paul is clear with his instructions, patient, and encouraging. He gives lots of positive feedback and is happy to go over anything if needed. It's really helped to build my confidence especially around positioning myself on the road at junctions and roundabouts. Thanks Paul, you're a star!"

"The workshops were fantastic for improving my cycling technique, and gaining confidence in how to safely cycle in traffic. Paul was a great coach - able to cater to the different skill levels of each participant, and help each of us to meet our different goals."