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.

  • Year-around Youth Programs
  • There are many programs that specifically address the needs of our youth. Young cyclists 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. High school students can join the local SoCal High School Cycling League's cross-country mountain biking team. Our Coalition offers ongoing bike programs at South Coast schools where kids can learn about bike maintenance and on-street safety.
  • SB Bicycle Coalition Youth Education Programs, Christine Bourgeois, 899-3728
  • Pedal Power: Grades 7-12. After-school program where participants learn bike mechanics, build street riding skills and confidence, and go on rides around Santa Barbara. $175 for 18 hours of instruction over 6 weeks.
  • Super Cyclers: Grades 4-6. After-school program where students become better riders on the road: bike handling skills, rules of the road, traffic awareness, and neighborhood rides. $80 for 8 classes.
  • Junior Cyclers: Grades 1-3. After-school program where younger riders improve their bike handling skills through fun games in a safe, off-street environment. $60 for 6 classes.
  • Bici Centro, Ed France, 617-3255
  • Echelon Santa Barbara, Scott McIntyre, 684-3038
  • Elings Park BMX Raceway, Richard Huvard, 312-0922
  • South Coast High School MTB Team, Jeff Harbison
  • Santa Maria BMX, Mike Porter, 938-1348

2010 Summer Youth Programs and Events

  • May 1, June 26 and August 28, Kidical Mass Santa Barbara, sponsored by Marin Sigurdson. There are three "Kidical Mass" family bike rides in the South Coast. They start at different locations, go to different places. Details at www.kidicalmasssb.blogspot.com.
  • June 14-18 and June 21-25, Summer Cyclers, sponsored by Santa Barbara Parks & Recreation, our Bicycle Coalition, and Bici Centro. For ages 10-14. 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. At Santa Barbara Junior High School, 9:00 AM-12:00 noon. Phone 564-5495 or go to sbparksandrecreation.com/summerfun.
  • Every week, June 14-August 2, Safety Town, sponsored by Soroptimist of Santa Barbara. For upcoming kindergarden and first graders. Learn bike and walking safety, plus challenging situation behavior. Takes place at 5 schools—Foothill, Franklin, Aliso, El Camino and Isla Vista. Week-long sessions, 8:30 AM -12:00 noon daily. Register online here.
  • July 5-9, July 12-16 and July 19-23, Mountain Bike Skills Camp, sponsored by Elings Park and Bici Centro. Ages 7-14. Experienced instructors guide bikers through the basics of trail etiquette, riding skills and bike maintenance. Participants are required to bring a functioning mountain bike and a helmet. Daily 9:00 AM-12:00 noon. Register at www.elingspark.org.
  • Every week, June 7-August 6, BMX Summer Camp, sponsored by Elings Park. Ages 5-12. The BMX camp is designed for riders of all levels and abilities. The instructor is Chantel Blanchet, a BMX Pro. Improve basic skills, learn track etiquette and get a great workout in the beautiful outdoors. Daily 9:00 AM-3:00 PM. Register at www.elingspark.org.
  • 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.
  • If you know of other Santa Barbara county 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 2010 events took place on the morning of May 18th. They are arranged school by school within our county. At least 21 schools hosted events. They are: Foothill, Monroe, Peabody,, Monte Vista, Ellwood, Harding, Cleveland, Hope, Vieja Valley, Washington, Kellogg, El Camino, SB Community Academy, Hollister, Adams, and Mountain View Elementary schools. Plus Goleta Valley, Santa Barbara, and La Cumbre Junior Highs; and San Marcos and Santa Barbara High Schools. Contact South Coast coordinator Kim Stanley-Zimmerman at kim@coast-santabarbara.org. She can put you in touch with the individual school bike "champion" organizer.

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.