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WACC has been busy this year - too busy to blog! Here’s a slice of what we’ve been up to: Back in February we were at Greater Wellington Regional Council offices for WACC @ Work, a two hour workshop with employees. Participants ranged from experienced daily bike commuters, to occasional weekend riders, to one person who had only just started commuting by bike that same week. With a fleet of bikes for staff to use, and great facilities such as showers and an ironing board at the office, GWRC is an absolute model for how employers can encourage sustainable transport.  We’d love to run some more WACC @ Work sessions. Get in touch if your workplace wants some team-building combined with support for sustainable transport. Also in February we ran our first ever Cycle Touring 101 one-day course. Phoebe and I are super passionate about the freedom, self-sufficiency and environmental connection that cycle touring enables, so we were very excited to develop this content. We’ll be back for another dose in October with answers to questions like “What makes a bike a touring bike?”, “Where do you eat/sleep/go to the toilet/find water on the road?” and most importantly, “What do I do if my bike breaks down?” Throughout April we had our WTF Block Course. Our group of women got together on Tuesday nights to go through (almost) everything you need to know about your bike.  Participants who on week one had never fixed a flat tyre before, by week four were tuning gears and practising cassette and crank removal. We ran another of our popular full/half day Turn Up Tune Up workshops just last weekend, with 11 participants learning new skills such as puncture repair, bike fitting, and what to do when your hydraulic brake pistons get pushed too far out. But I’ve saved one of our most exciting ventures for last: In case you haven’t heard, the government announced late last year that it would be investing in the Bikes In Schools program nationwide, meaning that a bunch of new schools will be getting their own bike fleets and tracks. WACC has started working with three primary schools in Porirua to maintain their bike and upskill groups of students to be Junior Mechanics doing bike checks and basic repairs. We have been so impressed at the capability of the year 5-6 kids we are working with. If anyone thought kids don’t have the observation skills, dexterity or strength to be able to detect and fix basic bike problems, we’re here to tell you you’re wrong. WACC has many exciting things coming up later in the year, including open registration and WTF-only courses, and a possible program with refugee and low-income women in the works.
Oh yeah, and we have been doing the occasional mobile fix up along the way too. Got a bike that needs some love, but short on time? We can come and give it some attention. This can also be combined with a private tutorial if you’re interested in learning more yourself. Peace and bicycle grease! Steph
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