ZEYNEP PEHLİVAN

İzmir – In İzmir province, people have started using bicycles and motorcycles rather than public transportation in order to stay away from the crowded environment. The bicycle paths are long in the city and this allows people to prefer biking to take public transport vehicles. After the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak, the rate of people using bicycles has increased by six percent. This special interest in cycling allows the cycle instructors to be recognized.

Cycle instructors are known very well in Europe but not in Turkey. Canses Özel is one of these cycle instructors and she has turned her passion for cycling into a business. She told us how her adventure started and what she does as a bicycle instructor.

She turns her passion into a business

Canses Özel is a young female entrepreneur and she had many ideas about what to do when she studied business at Celal Bayar University. She is an energetic woman having an interest in dance and sport and she loves biking bicycle. She began to search for how she could turn her passion into a business. After taking courses for a short time, she understood what kind of business she had to do and she began to set up her business.

“Actually, I always have an entrepreneurial passion. For instant, I worked as an animator, and soon after I started my own business. The same happened for bicycles. I love biking bicycle and I started thinking about it. I found out a group gave paid cycle lessons. Immediately, I joined the lessons; however, the content of lessons was not quite adequate and comprehensive for me. That’s why I left. Then, I searched its forms abroad. I formed a cycling training model.”

Training takes five months

Canses took the Bike Instructor Certification Program in order to be a more professional cycle instructor.

“Everyone can bike bicycle. But if you are a professional cycle instructor, you have to know more details. I took the Bike Instructor Certification Program and got my certificate. After taking my certificate, I founded my bicycle training formation called “Pedalanka”. We give training courses lasting five months. The students learn how to bike a bicycle in the first month and a half. We show them the techniques they need to bike bicycle in bicycle paths. We teach about 35 techniques in total during the training courses.”

“We had an 85-year-old student”

Canses has managed to teach people of all ages how to bike a bicycle.

“After 5-month-courses, we organize bicycle tours in nature for our students. 60 percent of our students are adults, particularly women. We had an 85-year-old student. It is not easy to convince this age group because they are afraid of falling off bikes.  The students have to wear helmets, knee pads, and elbow pads. We take all measures to prevent them from falling. Learning how to bike a bicycle is not difficult. We are here to teach. People should take a step to realize their uncompleted dream.”