LCI Spotlight: Elias Estabrook

The League certifies hundreds of League Cycling Instructors every year and there are thousands of LCIs across the country leading bike education efforts in their communities. In our LCI spotlight series, we share the stories of League Cycling Instructors doing what they do daily: educating, mentoring, and empowering. You don’t have to be an extraordinary athlete or overachieving student to be a stellar LCI, all you need is the conviction that life is better for everyone when more people ride bikes.

This month, we’re excited to get to know Elias Estabrook, former Director of Education at the New Haven Coalition for Active Transportation. Elias discovered his love for teaching cycling half a decade ago, and he’s been spreading bike joy ever since. 

Elias was nominated by League Cycling Coach Leta Highsmith, a recommendation that speaks volumes. Coach Highsmith shares, “Elias truly embraces youth bicycle education. He elevated NCAT’s community classes and has been instrumental in launching Bike Ed in three New Haven Schools.” Read on to be inspired as we learn more about Elias’s journey as a cycling educator!

Tell us a little about yourself and why you enjoy teaching bike education.

Five years ago, I came across some League Cycling Instructors and active transportation advocates, and they encouraged me to take a Smart Cycling class and register to become an LCI. My eyes were opened to new handling skills and ways of navigating roads.

I started teaching as an LCI in 2021, and I have had many, many enjoyable experiences since then. As an instructor with the New Haven Coalition for Active Transportation (NCAT), I have taught dozens of learn-to-ride participants, from young children to adults of all ages. I enjoy the breakthroughs that people experience, proving to themselves that they can learn and apply new skills. Their smiles and laughter as they ride in an oval or down a path make me smile. Some participants write to me about where they now ride on a bicycle, or I see them around town. It is incredibly rewarding to see how bicycle education has empowered people. 

I have been so inspired in my role as an instructor that I recently took the leap to work full-time as an assistant teacher in the New Haven Public Schools and to start a teacher certification program. I ride my bike to school on most days, and I plan to continue bringing joy through bike education.

What has been your greatest reward in teaching bike education?

The greatest reward has been encountering people, who were in a beginner or intermediate class with me, riding a bike in the community. For example, two second graders, who did not know how to balance on a bike in April, joined a youth skills road-eo at their neighborhood block party in August. A girl, who spent several sessions learning to balance and pedal, rode five miles during an annual fundraising ride in April. There are many stories I could tell!

What is your best piece of advice for an LCI who wants to teach a class but isn’t sure how to get started?

More adults than you would think are not confident on a bicycle or have not ridden in years, much less in the street. Share that you are an LCI in casual conversation, and you may be surprised how many people would like to be referred to a class with you! Once you offer some high-quality classes, you may see that people refer their friends and family. 

What is your favorite thing about being on a bike?

I love that I can get the physical and mental health boosts while enjoying sights in my neighborhood, city bike path, or nearest state park. There are days when I can feel the ride to work or ride back home ease the stress in my body. 

What is your favorite memory from being on a bike?

I grew up riding a bicycle for recreation in Massachusetts and my mother’s home region of Germany. In middle and high school, I used MBTA buses and subways to often get to school and other destinations in Boston. It wasn’t until the summer after my first year of college that I started riding a bicycle for utility – to and from a job, groceries, and other errands. I bought a $100 mountain bike through Craiglist. It was amazing to see the distances I could travel in a city. I remember writing in a journal about how much I got to know New Orleans that first summer while moving relatively slowly on my bike. I even witnessed a critical mass ride for the first time. 

Inspired, I started to commute to jobs and college classes in Connecticut. I went bikepacking for the first time. A few years later, I bought more winter attire and started commuting in the colder Northeast months too. I rode a bicycle for various purposes with different people, and it became part of my daily life.

Know an inspiring LCI we should feature next? Nominate a stellar bike educator here!