Many adults would welcome the opportunity to cycle for transportation if they felt able to do so. A significant barrier for some European cities to overcome is a lack of cycling skills among their adult populations (or particular sub-groups thereof). While some never learnt the basics of balancing on two wheels, others simply need to learn the skills needed to cycle safely and confidently in traffic. Targeted training addresses both of these needs.
Training may begin from the very beginning with those who didn’t have the opportunity to learn to cycle as children, or it may address the needs of those who know how to balance on two wheels but are uncertain about how to cycle in traffic.
The objective of training programmes is to help adults who are potential cyclists or recreational cyclists to overcome the most fundamental barrier to cycling: the physical inability to ride a bike, or the lack of skills and confidence to do so safely in an urban environment.
Adult cycling training programmes are generally most appropriate – and most needed – in urban areas where distances between destinations are short enough that they can easily be covered by bike. In starter or climber cities where cycling is not yet considered the norm, the target group may be relatively broad. In champion cities, where cycling is seen as a normal part of the local culture, the focus will more likely be on smaller groups that are outside the mainstream.