“BIKEABILITY!”Building Skills and Confidence on Two Wheels!

Bikeability? It's way more than just learning to pedal! It turns you into a super-safe, super-confident cyclist -  a first step towards amazing adventures on the open road!

Sam recently completed a Bikeability programme at his school. Here is his review for Roadster!

Cycling is more than just a fun hobby, it’s a crucial life skill! Once you take to two or three wheels, it opens doors to so much more!

Just think about the steps in learning to ride a bike. You start by practicing in a safe place with an adult, on a balance bike or a bike with stabilizers. Then, when you get better, you start riding on on two wheels on a footpath.

Well, Bikeability is the next important next step. It teaches kids how to ride bikes safely on the road!

Bikeability is a government cycle training program that equips schoolchildren with crucial cycling skills. Bikeability helps children learn:

Super Skills! How to control your bike like a pro, know the road rules, and tell everyone where you're going with hand signals.

Super Confidence! So you feel brave and happy riding your bike anywhere.

Super Safety! How to spot dangers and stay safe on your bike adventures.

Kids who learn to ride bikes through Bikeability are less likely to get hurt in accidents.

So far, more than FIVE MILLION children in the UK have learned to ride with Bikeability!

MONDAY - PLAYGROUND PRACTICE!

We started at school, learning the essential ABCD bike check:

A (Air): Check tyre pressure by squeezing for firmness.

B (Brakes): Test both brakes simultaneously while rolling the bike.

C (Chain): Pedal backward (right pedal forward) to ensure chain engagement.

D (Direction): Wiggle handlebars to check for excessive movement.

Our instructor, Simon, even had to correct Freddy's handlebars, which were on backward!

We then practiced our cycling skills! Here is what we learned:

Pedal-Ready Position: Practiced balancing and pushing off.

Road Skills: Cycled through a cone course, including slalom, corners, and a roundabout.

Stopping Technique: Practiced progressive stopping using "Slowing," "Stopping," and "Stop."

Hand Signals: Learned and practiced left and right turn signals, maintaining bike control.

TUESDAY…

Wow! Today was SO cool! We actually got to ride our bikes on REAL roads! At first, I was a bit wobbly, but I learned how to start without falling over (phew!) and more importantly, how to stop without crashing. We even turned left from a big road onto a little one! I felt like a real driver!

WEDNESDAY…

Today was even more exciting! We did a quick recap of yesterday, and then… BAM! More tricky turns! We learned to turn right from a little road onto a BIG one (you have to really look for cars!), and then left the same way. And guess what? We even turned right from a big road to a little one! There were real cars around, and it made me think super carefully.

THURSDAY…

Thursday was like a proper adventure! We went on a mini road trip! We learned how to sneak past parked cars safely and how to go through junctions. But the scariest thing was… ROUNDABOUTS! They looked like giant circles of doom, but we did it! My brain is totally full of road rules now!

FRIDAY,,,

Friday was awesome! We got our certificates! I’m so proud! Bikeability was amazing. I learned so much, and now I feel super confident on my bike. Maybe I'll even go on a big cycling adventure soon!

Sam's Rearview Mirror

With my super-cool new bike skills, it was adventure time!

Riding on the roads without being scared of cars is great… I can go anywhere! So Dad and I went on a MEGA bike ride!

Since it was springtime, Dad wanted to see how awesome I'd become. First, he asked me to show him all the stuff I learned at Bikeability. I even showed him some tricks he didn't know!

When Dad was super impressed, we zoomed off into the countryside! We rode on bumpy bike paths, through squishy muddy fields, up BIG hills (phew!), and down super-fast hills (whee!). We rode for MILES and MILES! It was the BEST day!

Dad was amazed at how much braver I was on my bike. He said we could have lots more adventures now!

I'm so excited to go on bike rides every weekend (as long as it's not raining, of course!).

The UK is like a giant playground for bikes! There are so many amazing paths to explore. We can ride to the beach, through magical forests, and discover all sorts of hidden treasures!

https://www.bikeability.org.uk/