CALLING ALL BIKERS. Newbies, daily commuters, racers, cruisers, and weekend warriors.
Whether you’d like to feel more comfortable biking in traffic, are preparing for a century, want to know how to fix a flat tire or just become a stronger rider, it’s time to sign up for a full day of bicycle camp conducted by the Westchester Cycle Club (one of the best bike clubs in America, according to the League of American Cyclists).
There are bikers everywhere you look in New York’s five boroughs (and more expected this summer when the NYC Bike Share launches). At WCC’s bike camp, you’ll spend a day focusing on safe riding and skill development, meet some great people in the process, and ultimately be more confident as a cyclist on the road, riding in groups and alongside cars.
Cost: For just $25 you get the full day of bike camp with a hot lunch, as well as sandwich and salad offerings. To seal the deal, offMetro.com readers who sign up get a free one-year membership to the Westchester Cycle Club (a $20 value itself).
This is what your day at camp will look like:
Morning session:
There will be a safety film and lecture, a question and answer session, and some discussion and demonstrations about common issues such as bike selection, traffic safety and proper clothing. Break-out sessions will focus on particular skills and interest areas. This will be followed by a lunch break and socializing. While this is going on, your bikes will be checked out for tire pressure, overall readiness to ride, and fit. There will be a professional fitter to explain fit issues and to help you.
Afternoon session workshops may include:
• For beginners: Starting, stopping, turning and shifting.
• For all: Safe and effective riding practices; the Instant Turn.
• For all: Riding in traffic, including hand signals and left hand turns.
• For intermediate/ advanced: Climbing and descending.
• For intermediate/ advanced: Electronica (Garmin, Strava, MapMyRide, etc.)
• For intermediate/ advanced: Nutrition and training for improvement.
• For intermediate/ advanced: Riding in a pace line and in an echelon, and descending.
• For all: Basic mechanics and bike maintenance (e.g., tire/tube changing).
• For ride leaders: Basic first aid for cyclists.
• For all: “The ‘Slow’ Race.”
• Bumping on the grass.
• If registration warrants it, there will be a special youth program, including such topics as helmets, keeping your line, passing safely, how to pace yourself, spandex alternatives, bling your bike and bike art.
When: April 28, 2012, 9:30am – 4:00pm
How to register: Sign up soon as there is a camp limit due to space constraints at the Mariandale Retreat and Conference Center. First come, first serve. Click here to register: http://www.westchestercycleclub.org/
How to get there: Mariandale Retreat and Conference Center in Ossining, a gorgeous spot with 1/2 mile frontage on the Hudson facing the Palisades. It’s a five-minute bike or cab ride from the express Metro North Hudson line stop at Croton Harmon. The Center has closed grounds where one can learn and practice riding and hill climbing.
Photo: Listen Missy!
Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next adventure. Follow Annie’s travels @annelisemcb.
Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings. 
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram