Reaching more people with a bike education in Spanish

In the League’s Biking & Walking: 2018 Benchmarking Report, data shows that Hispanic and Latino people are bike commuting at a higher rate than most other groups of people. Recognizing that there is a large population of bicyclists who may be interested in learning and teaching bike skills, and who also may benefit from techincal classes like Smart Cycling taught in their native language, the League is thrilled to now offer our Smart Cycling Manual in Spanish. 

A huge thank you goes to our partners at Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC), T.R.U.S.T South L.A., ActiveSGV (formerly Bike San Gabriel Valley), and the National Alliance for Hispanic Health for their incredible work, dedication and collaboration in bringing life to the Manual para un Ciclismo Seguro. The League would not have been able to answer the call from our League Cycling Instructors and our member organizations for more bike education materials in Spanish with the help of these groups. 

“We are definitely seeing an increasing interest in Spanish bike education materials,” said Bill Nesper, the League’s executive director. “As the League consistently seeks out ways to ensure our programs are empowering all people who bike, we’re happy we can meet the growing demand for more bike education materials in Spanish.”

The Spanish-language Smary Cycling Manual features diagrams depicting common cycling terms.

The League has offered the Smart Cycling Quick Guide in Spanish for seven years, which League Cycling Instructors, local transportation agencies, advocacy organizations, bike shops, and other groups have used extensively across the U.S. to reach communities that may otherwise be underserved. The League sells about 4,000 Spanish Quick Guides each year compared to about 25,000 English Quick Guides and the demand is growing: sales of Spanish Quick Guides are up by 60% this year compared to last. The Smart Cycling Manual includes nearly 50 pages of instructions on bicycling skills.

“It’s clear that the Latinx population in L.A. County is huge, so we know there is a need in our region for bike education materials in Spanish,” says Colin Bogart, LACBC Education Director. “We’ve hosted League Cycling Instructor seminars specifically with the goal of training women and people who speak Spanish so that L.A. County LCIs can reach a broader audience. Now we have the ready-made tools for instrucción en español that we didn’t have before. We’re proud to have partnered with the League and everyone else involved with translating the new Smart Cycling Manual and class materials so not only L.A. County can benefit, but people across the country will, too.”

Along with the Smart Cycling Manual, League Cycling Instructors will have access to classroom and on-bike Smart Cycling materials in Spanish so they will no longer have to “reinvent the wheel” if they would like to offer a class in Spanish. The League looks forward to highlighting how LCIs and new bicyclists are utilizing the training to grow a more vibrant, inclusive bicycliing community for everyone. 

The Manual para un Ciclismo Seguro and Spanish-language Quick Guides guides are available on the League store for purchase.