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West Shore Sun: She travels country showing how to get best out of bicycle

From the Octoer 7, 2010 edition of the West Shore Sun:

By Kate Spirgen

Jackie Baker is traveling all over the country, helping women get more comfortable on their bikes and empowering them to ride on their own. Baker made her latest stop at Century Cycles in Rocky River to host a ladies-only bike clinic.

With the van, affectionately named Gordo, stocked with demo bikes, Baker helps women find the right size bicycle, shift gears, brake properly and stay safe during long distance trips.

Baker started with the basics, teaching women the nomenclature for each part of their bikes. She then detailed the proper way to fix mechanical problems, finishing with a practice session.

Dianne Reece, a relatively new rider from Bay Village, came to the clinic to learn how to take care of her bike on a long excursion.

"I started riding last spring," she said. "I want to start cycling on my own. I know I may get some problems. If I'm going out in the countryside, I have to be able to take care of problems."

Debbie Milano of Rocky River is also getting into long-distance cycling and came to learn how to change a tire, among other things.

"You can never know too much about bike mechanics," she said. "I've found on long-distance rides you'll run into gear problems, where they slip, and it would be great to know what to do instead of waiting on the support wagon."