Day 1: Gearing Up! On day one we stay close to home base and spend the most of the day working on skills, drills and route maneuvers. In the afternoon we take a short ride to get used to riding as a group.
Days 2-5: We Ride! Each morning of camp we prepare to ride to a new destination, ranging from spray-grounds, parks, local businesses, and to the Governmental Plaza! We typically increase our miles as the days progress. In the mornings we practice skills and traffic maneuvers that are relevant to and are applied on our rides. After the morning skills session we embark on our daily adventure which includes plenty of rest stops along the way.
We ride in a single file line, following traffic laws, and clearly communicating our intentions to other road users. We have an adult Ride Leader and a Sweeper, and often more who ride left of the group for lane placement and assist with traffic flow at intersections.
We use a combination of strategies for riding around town. For example at times we control the lane, at other times we pull off safely and release traffic to pass. We always ride as consistently and predictably as is possible. (For any questions about our rides please contact us!)
We structure our week knowing the group gets stronger with practice. A hidden magic in bike camp is that children learn to communicate and cooperate with each other in order to ride comfortably as a group. Every group has it’s journey and it is inspiring to watch how each one finds their own unique way of making it work.