With the outdoors requiring a bit more thought and responsibility to experience under COVID concerns, especially if you’re riding a bike, the City of Long Beach’s public works department has partnered with Pedal Movement to offer two free, online Zoom workshops to instruct riders how to cycle safely.

The first will take place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 9, “Best Bicycling Practices,” will address social distancing guidelines, including why cyclists should be stay more than the standard six feet away from each other, as well as how to navigate busy crosswalks and what to wear as far as protective equipment is concerned, including masks.

“We’ll touch on the places in Long Beach that are reopening for cycling, give guidance about wearing masks and what kind of distances you need to keep on a bike,” said Pedal Movement’s marking manager and Saturday’s instructor, Aaron Rickel.

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Each workshop will run about 30 minutes, with 15 to 20 minutes set aside for viewers to ask questions. The webinar will also be recorded and made available for people to access afterward on Pedal Movement’s Facebook and the City’s GoActiveLB social media accounts.

“We’ve done classes at the GoActiveLB Hub in the past, but we’re taking to the internet because of COVID-19,” Rickel said. “In light of bike month, we’re doubling up on them this month, however, we’ll continue providing free bicycle safety education indefinitely.”

The Saturday, May 23 workshop, “Bicycle Safety Basics,” will feature an instructor teaching from the GoActiveLB Hub in Downtown, which Pedal Movement currently operates, on the importance of safety equipment, the ABC Quick Check and the rules of the road, all necessary fundamentals for anyone just starting out or in need of a refresher.

To participate, no registration is required, just use the links below and make sure you have an internet connection and Zoom installed and updated beforehand.

And, if you’re looking for even more of a reason to ride, the Pedal Movement Ride Challenge is ongoing through May, National Bike Month. You can register for free through lovetoride.net (make sure to join Pedal Movement’s group) to qualify for raffles depending on how many miles you ride.

The first batch of prizes will be announced this Sunday.

“We’re just trying to get as much community bicycling vibes going for the month as possible—even if we can’t physically be together,” Rickel said.