Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition

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Biking programs for youth

photo of BMX riders

Young bikers at Elings Park BMX Raceway, here in a regional race. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

  • On a year-round basis, there are several programs that specifically address the needs of our youth. Kids can join Echelon's Junior Teams for road racing. They can enjoy BMX racing at either Santa Barbara's Elings Park or the Santa Maria tracks. Further, students at San Marcos High School can join their school's mountain bike club. Finally, there are ongoing "Earn a Bike" programs at Bici Centro and South Coast schools where kids can learn about bike maintenance and on-street safety while earning a bike of their own. Bici Centro has an open bike shop for youth Monday afternoons 3:30-6:00 each week at 601 East Montecito Street, Santa Barbara.
  • Bici Centro Youth Bike Program, Ed France, 617-3255
  • Echelon Santa Barbara, Scott McIntyre, 684-3038
  • Elings Park BMX Raceway, Richard Huvard, 312-0922
  • San Marcos High School Mountain Biking Club, Dave O'Donnell, 898-1419
  • Santa Maria BMX, Mike Porter, 938-1348

2010 Summer Youth Programs and Events (updated Feb 2, 2010)

  • June 6, BMX Racing at Elings Park, sponsored by the Santa Barbara Bicycle Festival. There is an open BMX track time 6:00-7:00, with races starting at 7:30 PM. Details at www.santabarbarabikefest.com.
  • June 7, Bicycle Festival Kids Race, sponsored by Shimano. This race is part of the two-day Santa Barbara Bicycle Festival. Race time is 1:00 PM. Festival entrance and Kids Race are free. Elings Park, 1298 Las Positas Road, Santa Barbara. Details at www.santabarbarabikefest.com.
  • June 14-18 and June 21-25, Summer Cyclers, sponsored by Santa Barbara Parks & Recreation, our Bicycle Coalition, and Bici Centro. Each day is another bike adventure. Pedal to different parts of Santa Barbara as a group while learning skills to be used for life. Bicyclists must bring a bicycle, helmet, tire patch kit, tire levers, bike pump, snack, water, and comfortable riding clothes. Details forthcoming.
  • Dates to be determined, Mountain Bike Skills Camp, sponsored by Elings Park and Bici Centro. Ages 8-14. Experienced instructors guide bikers through the basics of trail etiquette, riding skills and bike maintenance. Participants are required to bring a functioning mountian bike and a helmet. Daily 9:00 AM-12:00 noon.
  • Dates to be determined, BMX Summer Camp, sponsored by Elings Park. Ages 5 and up. The BMX camp is designed for riders of all levels and abilities. Improve basic skills, learn track etiquette and get a great workout in the beautiful outdoors.
  • May 20 & 22, and July 15 & 17, Street Skills for Cyclists Class, sponsored by our Bicycle Coalition. For ages 14 and older, (those 14 and 15 must be accompanied by an adult ). Learn how to ride confidently with traffic in an urban setting. The class will help you foresee problem situations, be visible day and night, position yourself safely in traffic, cross freeway bridges, equip your bike, and lots more including on-road bicycling on the second day. The class is being held at the Granada Garage Bikestation, 1219 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara. Online info and registration are here. Direct any questions to streetskills@sbbike.org.
  • Dates to be determined, Kid's Triathlon Camp, sponsored by Momentum 4 Life. This camp is for children ages 7-12 who can swim 25 yards in a pool and ride a two wheel bike. Limited to 150 participants. For more information and registration, go to momentum4life.com.
  • Date in July to be determined, Santa Barbara Kid's Triathlon, sponsored by Momentum 4 Life. Not a camp, but a single event. This is the fifth annual kid's triathlon, open to children aged 7-15, to help them establish a healthy foundation for life. Limited to the first 200 applicants. Details here.
  • If you know of other ongoing youth bike programs, please tell us.

Bike to School Day

photo of kids with bikes

Nearly 150 kids biked to Vieja Valley School on Bike to School Day 2002 shown here. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

  • The Bike to School Day 2009 events will take place on May 19th. They are arranged school by school within our county. Events are being arranged at individual South Coast and Solvang schools. These South Coast schools participated in 2008, and will likely repeat it this year: César Chavez, Monroe, El Camino, Ellwood, Hollister, Goleta Family School, Monte Vista, Cold Spring, Hope, Vieja Valley and Isla Vista. Bike rodeos and bicycle safety instruction are being offered at César Chavez, Ellwood, and Brandon prior to Bike Week. Contact South Coast coordinator Kim Stanley-Zimmerman at ksz@linkline.com, or Solvang coordinator John Padfield at jpadfield@mac.com.

Santa Barbara Middle School teaches bicycling

photo of kids circling on bikes

Santa Barbara Middle School students circle on the playing field upon returning from a tour. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

  • For good reasons, the Santa Barbara Middle School calls itself "the bikingest school in the country." Their school logo has a bicycle wheel in it, and their active bike tour program that has been part of their core curriculum from their start in 1976.
  • Whenever students return from a bike tour, there is a ceremony at the school. Hundreds of parents, family and friends show up to cheer the riders. Over a hundred welcoming signs are posted along the approach roads and the entry drive to the school. The student support is apparent and touching.
  • For all cyclists, it's heart warming to see hundreds of students bicycling with assurance—and pleasure. For more information about the private school (grades 6-9), visit their web site www.sbms.org. Read an article about the school by Ralph Fertig. A shorter version was published in the League of American Bicyclists' Spring 2002 magazine.

How to Teach a Child to Ride
by Sean Coffey & Bill Strickland, Bicycling magazine, December 2001

  • Holding onto the seat and running beside your wobbly child is frustrating (for both of you), takes too long, and is guaranteed to produce at least a skinned knee. Here's how to teach your kid to ride in one session—in less than an hour.
  • Find a gentle slope in a grassy field. Lower the seat so your child's feet can touch the ground when he's seated. Have him coast down, using his feet as outriggers for balance. Repeat this until he masters it, then have him raise his feet after he starts down the hill. Explain that he can put his feet down at any time to regain stability. Repeat this until he coasts down steadily without using his feet. Raise the saddle slightly, and coast down several times with feet on leveled pedals (at 3 and 9 o'clock), then incorporate pedaling.
  • You've just passed the torch.