iRide enjoyed another busy week with new events in Sechelt, Penticton, Campbell River and Squamish, and week-two events continuing in Fernie and North Vancouver. Highlights of the week included Ben Chaddock’s visit to the home of Sprokids on the Sunshine Coast and Julian Base’s great experience turning a few nervous riders into little rippers. Overall, iRide visited 17 schools across British Columbia and provided a safe and fun cycling experience for 1580 students.
iRide coordinator, Ben Chaddock, visited the Sunshine Coast last week and found some very excited cycling students.
I spent a total of four days visiting the students of West Sechelt and Kinnikinnick. The skill level was pretty great and with the help of local rider Jonas Lomax, we had a ball with the kids. After building basic skills with the help of the schoolground features: sand pit, pea-gravel sections and an old kickball diamond, students were stoked to rip around the school and show off their new skills and freshly cleaned bicycles with their friends. After iRide’s in-school events finished, local parents and teachers arrived for after-school bike club events on Tuesday and Thursday. Of course I had to stay and help with this amazing community initiative that provided an opportunity to take the students off school grounds into the nearby network of beginner trails.The Kinnikinnick trails were only recently created and hope to emulate the spectacular SproKids trails in Gibsons. Below is a brief snippet of the Shark Island finale on the final day.
iRide @ Sechelt 2015 from Cycling British Columbia on Vimeo.
iRide Comox coach Lynda Magor reports from Ocean Grove Elementary:
Week three took things up a notch with a new teeter-totter, aggressive ascending and descending drills, traffic skills and a special trail/urban road ride to finish. Talk about power packed! We really did it all this week and it was so exciting to see many students stoked on their new abilities. It was a particular thrill to take the students out on a quiet road adjacent to the school and provide the opportunity for students to practice in the “real world” and ready themselves for the upcoming “Bike to Work/School Week”. Ocean Grove totally rocked their final week of iRide! Way to go Ocean Grove!
iRide Okanagan coach Laura Harp checks in from Penticton:
On May 12 & 13th I had the pleasure of introducing Columbia Elementary school to the iRide program, the first event in the town of Penticton. My assistant coach Louise Blais and I had five classes of grades three, four and five students, totaling 54 girls and 51 boys. Both the teachers and students were very excited to ‘iRide’ so after checking student equipment and discussing safety, we started our skill progression. Over the two day event we worked towards a medley of fun cooperative games on bicycles that left the kids yelling for more. Thank you to Cycling BC for giving us the opportunity to bring cycling education in to our schools! The kids loved it and we hope that it leads to more of them getting out on their bicycles.
iRide Head Coach Julian Base returned to Squamish last week to visit Stawamus Elementary.
Whether it was the Stawamus Chief as a backdrop, or the refreshing morning air scented by both the mountains and the sea, Stawamus Elementary is one of the most beautiful settings for a school in Canada. The only thing that was missing was the bikes and last week saw no shortage of kids on two wheels. Taking advantage of iRide momentum, the school organized a bike rodeo for the days following iRide, creating a full week of cycling programming for its students. I had the chance to work with students aged five to nine, spanning Kindergarten to Grade 4. The ability levels were variable, as is to be expected with this age range, but the natural terrain of the school grounds, coupled with a few adventure packed days created vast improvements in rider comfort and ability. I was notified upon arrival that a few students were quite scared of the cycling events, enough so that one student wrote a letter to her teacher. Of course when asked for an interview at the end of the 4 days, she didn’t want to get off her bike and just kept riding! Mission Accomplished.
I finished my week with one day at Alice Brown Elementary in Langley and the nearby forest provided excellent shade on such a hot sunny day! The kids were put through paces with obstacle courses through the forest and around the school. My assistant coach, Andy Wong and I also played the Zombie chaser game and conducted a few fun relay races to keep everyone moving!
If you’re a fan of Cycling BC’s iRide program, check us out on Twitter, Instagram, or donate through Chimp to support our programs in your area. To learn more about iRide Summer Camp or book future in-school events, please contact iRide@cyclingbc.net or (604) BC-iRide.
