Spring Cleaning Tip: Toss Those Training Wheels on April 19 

During this season of fresh starts, help your children learn something new, such as how to balance on two wheels and start and stop a bicycle--at Bike New York's kick-off Teach Your Child to Ride a Bike class. On Saturday, April 19, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at Staten Island's Cromwell Rec Center, right near the ferry terminal, City of New York Parks & Recreation staff will lead this free indoor course. In addition, Department of Transportation staff will be on hand to fit and distribute free bike helmets (while supplies last) to children accompanied by adults.

Learn more about this class by viewing the video at right and checking out the schedule. Can't make it? Don't worry; there are many more Teach Your Child to Ride a Bike classes to come. See below.

May is Bike Month, and Bike New York is in on the action with 16--that's right, 16--Teach Your Child to Ride a Bike classes in association with City of New York Parks & Recreation. Classes are held on Saturdays throughout the five boroughs. Take a look below to find one near you and then sign up.

(Don't have kids? Volunteer to share your love of cycling with some young'uns. You can learn the "balancing first" method at a volunteer training on Saturday, April 12.) 

	May 3, 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.	North Rochdale Playground, Queens St. Nicholas Park, Manhattan McCarren Park, Brooklyn Midland Beach, Staten Island
	May 10, 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.	Bayswater Park, Queens J. J. Byrne Park, Brooklyn Midland Beach, Staten Island
	May 17, 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.	Admiral Park, Queens Madison Square Park, Manhattan Crispus Attucks Park, Brooklyn Van Cortland Park, Bronx
	May 24, 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.	Highland Park, Queens Columbus Park, Manhattan Carroll Park, Brooklyn Crotona Park/Boxcar Playground, Bronx
	May 31, 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.	Inwood Hill Nature Center, Manhattan

Not Just for New Yorkers: Bring Bicycle Education to Your Town

Why are so many Teach Your Child to Ride a Bike classes scheduled in NYC? Bike New York’s partnership with New York City’s Department of Parks & Recreation makes it possible. If your organization forms a partnership with Bike New York, your town could offer classes too. The Bicycle Education Program trains PE teachers and Parks & Recreation staff throughout New York and New Jersey to bring bicycle education to their schools, community parks, or camp programs.

Learn to Ride* Training for NY State Parks and Recreation Association Members: Monday, April 7, 6:00-7:30 p.m., White Plains, NY

Bike Driver’s Ed* Training: Monday, April 28, 6:00-9:00 p.m., Ridgewood, NJ

If these trainings aren't convenient for you, consider volunteering at a Teach Your Child to Ride a Bike event or Bike Rodeo to get a feel for the programs. Bike Rodeos will be held in New Jersey on May 3 and June 21. Contact Rich Conroy for more details.

* Learn to Ride trainings prepare adult participants to teach groups of kids how to ride a bike for the first time. Bike Driver’s Ed trainings prepare adults to teach kids bike handling and road safety skills during a one-day Bike Rodeo or in a longer-term camp setting.

Five Reasons Why Volunteering Beats Cycling

With so many little New Yorkers ready to learn how to ride, Bike New York's Bicycle Education Program needs all hands on deck. All types of volunteers are welcome, but if you're a cyclist worried about missing out on your riding time, here are five reasons why you should skip your group ride and spend a Saturday helping local kids.

1. You'll have an excuse to sleep past 7:00 a.m. on a Saturday for once.
   
2. Your cycling friends can't drop you while you're teaching kids how to ride bikes.
   
3. You won't have to stretch after volunteering, and chances are good you won't be sore the next day.
   
4. After you teach them how to ride, you could justifiably count the kids' cycling miles as your own, greatly increasing your bike miles traveled for years to come.
   
5. You'll be able to brag that while others were out burning a few calories you were busy changing kids' lives forever! (If you don't believe us, check out what volunteer Joe Candelaria has to say.)

Are you ready to volunteer? Contact Program Associate Emilia Crotty (212 932 2453 x131) and join us for a volunteer training on April 12.

Get Savvy Before Embarking on the Tour

Have your cycling skills collected as much dust as your bike by this time of the year? Before you hit the road for Bike New York's Commerce Bank Five Boro Bike Tour, consider attending a free Savvy Cyclist class, where you'll learn everything you need to know to operate your bike with confidence and competence on Tour day and beyond.

Savvy Cyclist classes are taught by certified cycling instructors and cover the basics, including where to ride on the road, how to handle your bicycle in traffic, how to fit a helmet and perform a bike check, how to fix a flat tire, and more.

Upcoming sessions include:

• Sunday, April 13, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Trek Bicycle Store of Brooklyn, Midwood
• Saturday, April 26, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Recycle-A-Bicycle, Long Island City, Queens
  

A Different Kind of Bicycle Education on May 24

You may be intimately familiar with New York City's thriving bike culture, including the country's largest recreational ride and scores of bike-related clubs, businesses, events, and craftsmen. But did you know that cycling's current popularity pales in comparison to its past? Join Bike New York and historian David Herlihy for an illustrated lecture at the Museum of the City of New York, "Two Wheels, Five Boroughs: A History of Cycling in New York City." Herlihy, author of Bicycle: The History, will present the rich history of biking in New York, including races, roads, equipment, clothing, and cycling's cultural impact and influences. Highlights include the bike crazes of the 1860s and 1890s, a milestone court case for cyclists' rights, standing-room-only Six Day Races at Madison Square Garden, and technological and social changes aplenty.

The lecture, free with museum admission, will take place at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 24. The Museum of the City of New York is at 1220 Fifth Avenue at 104th Street in Manhattan.

^ Above, Alice Austen's Messenger Boy and Bike,1896.

About Us  

Bike New York's Bicycle Education Program encourages smart cycling by offering free, hands-on courses to cyclists of various abilities throughout the New York metropolitan region. The Bicycle Education Program also trains and certifies Cycling Instructors and Cycling Educators to offer League of American Bicyclists educational programs in their communities and schools.

The Bicycle Education Program is always looking for volunteers, whether long-term or one-time. Contact Emilia Crotty for details, and visit www.BikeNewYork.org/education to learn more about the program.