Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) is offering Basic Motorcycle Rider’s Courses throughout the summer starting in June 2023.

Students will learn various defensive techniques, such as avenues of escape, pre-planning, vehicle inspection, and equipping themselves with the proper riding gear.

Rider coaches will instruct students on the fundamentals of bike safety alongside range training, an essential component of the overall curriculum to practice in secure environments such as parking lots. Demonstrating firsthand proficiency behind the handlebars will indicate success and be the measure of passing or failing the course.

TMCC Safety Center Program Manager Scott Alquist is an expert in teaching safety procedures to organizations across Nevada and internationally; however, he enjoys often meeting with students and instructors.

“I like to meet each class. I tell students before they get into their classroom that if they pay attention to their instructor, they’ll get two things out of it: One. Learn how to have a good time! That’s why we ride motorcycles. Two: Understand how to make it home in one piece. That’s really what the course is about,” said Alquist.

An integral part of the course is studying how to apply a responsive approach versus a reactive one when students find themselves in tricky situations.

Being responsive means thoughtfully and intentionally adapting their behavior to the current situation, whereas reactive triggers a high-alert stress mode mentality. Given time, students will perfect their methods for achieving success.

Classes are filling quickly, so individuals interested in learning to ride should register today.

“Riding is a feeling that you cannot duplicate. It’s simply a matter of paying attention to what is happening around you and anticipating it. I would not trade all my years of riding motorcycles for anything else. Nothing compares to it–period. The places you see, the people you meet, you just cannot beat that!” said Alquist.

Find more information on the TMCC website.

(Truckee Meadows Community College assisted in this story.)