LCI Spotlight: Zoe Scott

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 catching up with Zoe Scott, Advocacy Director at Bike Walk Knoxville. Zoe also spends her time supporting Bike Walk Tennessee, and serves on various local committees including the Advance Knox Advisory Committee, City of Knoxville Vision Zero Steering Committee, and Safe Routes Partnership Decriminalizing Mobility Working Group. Zoe’s nominator says, “I met Zoe at the National Bike Summit and was immediately impressed by both her knowledge and practical skills when it comes to bicycle advocacy and education. She’s truly a force to be reckoned with and I can’t wait to see how she continues to create change for better biking in Tennessee.”

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

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

I’m originally from Alabama, and growing up, riding a bike was one of the easiest ways for me to have fun — I could take a short ride to a friend’s place, or the community pool, or the state park. Like for so many youth, the bike represented freedom. In college, I majored in Political Science and Environmental Studies, and became passionate for advocacy and sustainability. After graduation from the University of Montevallo, I completed a term of service with AmeriCorps, serving for Bike Walk Knoxville. I love working in the active transportation field, and bike education is an important piece of getting more folks in our community out on bikes — from kids riding for the first time to adults reconnecting with their love of riding to older adults trying out an e-bike, I believe everyone should be able to move in a way that works for them!

What first motivated you to become an LCI?

Through my work with Bike Walk Knoxville, I had the privilege of watching and helping young folks learn bike handling, maintenance, and safety skills through our Kids Love Bikes program. The classes were so fun, and I loved knowing that kids went home, not only with the knowledge and ability to ride safely, but also with the resources they needed to do so, including a certificate for a free bike from a local community bike shop and a helmet provided by a local nonprofit. I wanted to be able to support that work, and becoming an LCI empowered me to share my love of cycling with others!

What has been your greatest reward in teaching bike education?

It’s been really inspirational to teach youth bike education and then see the kids at future events enjoying their bikes! As a community nonprofit, we attend and host lots of fun, free, family-friendly events, and it’s very rewarding to have a kid run up to you with their parent, remember you from a class, and tell their guardian all about everything they learned.

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

It’s important to think through the details, but it’s more important to do it. As folks planning these educational programs, it can be a challenge to want to have a specific plan and execute it perfectly, but that shouldn’t be a disincentive to trying things out. Start small, find your partners and allies, and just jump in. 

What is something you think all LCIs should know about teaching bike education?

Especially when working with youth, understand that you might need to explain things a few different ways before it “clicks.” Being patient is key, but so is being creative and trying to find a new perspective to give a student to help them really understand, especially when discussing the mechanics of how the bike works and how they need to move their body for certain bike safety skills. 

Give us an interesting or funny fact about you or your work.

Bike Walk Knoxville received the League of American Bicyclists’ Advocacy Organization of the Year award in 2023. Each year, this award goes to a bicycling and/or walking advocacy organization or club that made significant progress and recognizes the leaders who have worked tirelessly together to grow and strengthen their organization and fulfill their mission. 

That’s certainly the case with Bike Walk Knoxville, which began as a subcommittee of Bike Walk Tennessee in 2012 and over ten years has grown into a force for change and a trusted subject matter expert in the Knoxville area. The organization’s mission is to make the Knoxville region a better place to bike and walk for people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. The League has seen this in action through their advocacy at the federal, state, and local levels, and the people of Knoxville have seen it for themselves through their Open Streets Knoxville, their work with Safe Routes to School, and the Tour de Lights, where you’ll see “bicycle enthusiasts wearing their latest spandex to four-year olds on tiny bicycles to families towing pets.” Visit Bike Walk Knoxville’s website to learn more and follow the group on Instagram and Facebook.