iRide is into its busiest month of the year, and visited 1774 students last week as part of Cycling BC’s innovative approach to improving health and physical literacy for British Columbia’s youth. Utilizing a top crew of over 20 coaches spread throughout the province, iRide visited students in Fernie, Grand Forks, Christina Lake, Victoria, Comox, Squamish, and all across the lower Lower Mainland. Weekly highlights include the opening day of iRide’s first After-School program in Lynn Valley, Ben Chaddock’s trip to Fernie, Natasha Lockey’s first week in Grand Forks (read more) and iRide’s Vancouver summer camp opens for reservations.
iRide’s approach to youth cycling is to provide safe and fun sessions that provides an exciting and social atmosphere. To build from the school-ground setting, Cycling BC Executive Director Richard Wooles has created an after-schools program at Kilmer Park this month, utilizing iRide’s top coaches and providing all the special treats to make the experience a life-long memory. Local cyclist and 2-time Olympian Zach bell joined Richard for the session and said:
[iRide] is going to be reaching a lot of different kids with a lot of different skills… [and] the beauty of cycling is that it can reach every demographic. The iRide program has bikes for kids that don’t have bikes and makes cycling accessible for all BC students.
Each of the 70 participants received a special iRide jersey as part of the free event, including insignia of Cycling BC’s Evening of Champions Gala. This gala event acts as the main source of funds for the iRide program and although it is a generous start, Cycling BC is now seeking the support of families who’ve participated in the program. Any donation to Cycling BC through our Chimp profiles is matched by our corporate sponsors, which means your $5 donation will become $10, equaling our $10/student program cost. Your support will allow Cycling BC to continue iRide and create a safe and fun first cycling experience for all students in British Columbia.
Before Tuesday’s After-Schools event, iRide Coordinator Ben Chaddock traveled to Fernie on Monday to visit the local community and train iRide coaches to run iRide events. Ben worked with Ross Frazier and students of the Fernie Academy in an afternoon session. After covering the basic day-one skills, students played multiple games of Shark Island; the winner of each game earned the opportunity to wear the GoPro helmet cam for the next round. Ross will now continue to run Monday afternoon events for multiple classes through June 15th.
iRide’s newest coach, Natasha Lockey, opened her 2015 campaign in Grand Forks and Christina Lake last week. As a two week program, students practiced basic skills on the opening day before venturing out to the Kettle Valley trail on day two. Read more about Natasha’s program in school district 51 here. (link to “iRide Launches in Grand Forks”)
Last week also marked the announcement of iRide’s unique and multi-discipline summer cycling camps. Based in Burnaby, each day students will explore a different style of cycling: BMX, mountain bike, track and road skills respectively, and have access to iRide’s fleet of loaner bicycles if needed. Camps run July 6 – August 14th and full information can be found here.
