A few dozen young cyclists had the opportunity last Tuesday afternoon to get a basic tune-up and learn more about some safety tips during a free-to-attend bike rodeo hosted at the Sundre Arena.
“There was kind of a rush at the beginning,” said Cherie Johnson, Greenwood Neighbourhood Place program coordinator, adding the initial surge eventually slowed to a trickle of kids coming through.
Felix Lee, who brought his children Dorothea and Oliver, said the bike rodeo is a fantastic opportunity for young cyclists to learn more about how to stay safe on the roads while further developing skills in a positive and supportive environment.
Dorothea Lee, 8, enthusiastically navigates around a figure eight course set up at the Sundre Arena last week as part of the Bike Rodeo. Simon Ducatel/MVP Staff
“We had nine stations,” said Johnson.
Among them were stops to have bikes tuned up for basic maintenance such as brake adjustments. One of the stations also had volunteers offering to attach bells to bikes that didn’t already have one.
The municipality’s peace officer and a member of the Sundre RCMP detachment taught children about the rules of the road and using hand signals to indicate their intent to drivers, as well as the importance of proceeding carefully around parked vehicles and to never ride behind a motorist who is reversing.
Sundre Bike n’ Ski Club volunteers set up and ran obstacle courses so the young cyclists could have some fun while at the same time improving their balance, said Johnson.
Drew Murphy, 5, gets a helping hand from Sundre Bike n’ Ski Club volunteer Troy Fee to get over an obstacle.
Several local organizations partnered to put on the event: GNP, Family and Community Support Services, Chinook Arch Victim's Services, ParentLink Centre, Town of Sundre, Sundre Fire Department and local RCMP detachment, as well as the Sundre Bike n’ Ski Club, she said.
Members of the Chinook Arch Victim's Services brought Ringo, a friendly black service Lab who helped provide some comfort and to ease the anxiety of any children who might have felt under pressure, she said.
Organizers also made some spare helmets available in case any of the participants had outdated head protection, she said.
The bike rodeo has been held several times over a number of years, but is not an annual event, she said.
“We didn’t have it last year,” she said.
“Sometimes it’s good to take a break and do it every other year.”
Johnson said she hopes local cyclists get a chance to have a fun and safe spring and summer on the trails.
