Bicycle season is open!

The moment spring arrives, you see them everywhere – bicycles. Bikes are especially popular among students because they’re cheaper and more practical than cars for getting around town. If you don’t know how to ride a bike and would like to learn, the General German Bicycle Club (ADFC) offers extra courses for adults.

Anna Franzen mit Fahrrad, Bild: Steuer/DAAD

Wednesday evening, shortly after 6 pm. The traffic practice area north of Cologne is extremely busy. Eleven women are criss-crossing the area on their bikes, having a lot of fun. It’s hard to imagine that only two weeks ago, they could barely keep balance on their bikes.  

In all her 21 years, Anna Franzen never had to get on a bicycle. Where she grew up in the United States, everyone drove cars. People regarded bikes a way of exercising – not something you use every day. But then she came to Germany and suddenly she discovered that all her friends had their own bikes – even her husband. “He just loves biking and so he gave me this course with the ADFC as a present,” Anna explains.

Learning to ride in eight hours

In four two-hour course periods, she has become a proud bike rider, thanks to her teacher Inga Fischer. The 23-year-old has been teaching adults like Anna how to ride bikes since 2006 and understand the worries and problems of her participants. “Many of them don’t believe they can do it and are afraid. But you have to have courage to learn how ride,” says Inga Fischer. And in the beginning, no pedals. They’re removed from the bikes in the first lesson. “The participants can find their balance better without pedals by touching the ground with their toes,” the teacher explains.

The ADFC bicycle course

The participants only start riding when they feel secure enough on their bikes. “The hardest part is pushing off and finding the pedals – but after that it’s easy,” says Anke Prinz, the managing director of the ADFC in Cologne and the surrounding region who plans the bicycle courses. As a bicycle enthusiast herself, she encourages everyone to learn. “People who can ride a bike are independent and actively protect the environment, because biking produces no carbon dioxide. Plus, biking regularly is good for keeping fit.”

A dream comes true

It wasn’t difficult for Hülya Cekin to learn to pedal, steer and keep balance at the same time. However, she still needed this course to become a bike rider. “I thought I was the only one who couldn’t ride a bike,” the Turkish-born mother of two children admits. The course showed her that she wasn’t alone and gave her a great deal of self-confidence. “For me, it was a dream come true. I wanted to learn for such a long time and now I can finally do it.” She says she’ll never forget the day she learned how to ride all by herself. “It was amazing. I immediately called up my kids and they all cheered for me!”

Meanwhile, she zips across the training area as if she’s ridden a bike all her life, smiling from ear to ear. To make sure it stays that way, Anke Prinz gives her participants an important piece of advice: „Don’t go riding on busy city streets right away – practice in the park until you really feel sure of yourself.”

Hülya is mostly looking forward to taking cycling tours with her family and spending holidays with friends. “In the past nobody wanted to go bike riding because of me, but now they can. I’ll be riding with them!”

Info: New courses in Cologne start on a regular basis. The course fee is 140 euros (120 euros for ADFC members). If you’d you like to know more about it, send an e-mail to Anke Prinz.