Greetings bipeds/urban biking students! The first meeting of our CMST391: Urban Biking Benefits course is fast approaching! (Pro Tip: it’s August 26th at 5:45pm in Scuffletown Park, Strawberry Street, Richmond, VA 23220, United States!).  Our classroom will be mobile, and we will meet at a different location on the date of each class. Be there, on two wheels with a helmet!  A few key points to consider before we meet for our initial class:

1. Read the syllabus linked above!  There you will find a full course description, including the 3 core components of the course: “Community-Engaged Research”, “Community Engagement”, and “Service Learning”.  You will also find our learning goals, expected course outcomes and the course calendar. This site has it all.
2. Get your hands on a bike!  If you don’t own your own bike, you can “check out” a VCU RamBike from the Cabell Library Service Desk (just like a book).  But plan ahead, each bike checks out for 24hrs. and must be returned on time. This option is also questionable during the bike race events.
3. Be comfortable riding a bike in an urban environment!  This is not a beginner’s cycling course, so students will need to have a safe level of comfort riding on two wheels in a city setting.  You don’t need to be an expert, and we will go over safety, but if you have never ridden a bike before, you may want to reconsider your readiness for the course.
4. Fill out the pre-course survey, found HERE.  This is just a friendly questionnaire, with no right or wrong answers.  Please be honest, as you will also receive a post-course survey that we will use to find out how effective the course has been in helping you learn!
5. Sign up for your Bike Valet spot (date/time).  Bike Walk RVA will be operating bike valet at the The Branch Museum of Architecture and Design (2501 Monument Avenue, at the corner of Davis) during the major events of the UCI Road Cycling World Championships. This is your service-learning requirement of 10 hours at valet.

Contact your faithful instructors, Tessa McKenzie ([email protected]) and Herb Hill ([email protected]) if you have absolutely any questions or concerns.  We care about you and want you to do well in life.

In the meantime, get on Twitter and join the VCU conversation: #TheWorldsAtVCU.