About BIG Bike Camps!

Have fun riding your bicycle in and around Greensboro.  BIG Bike Camps! is geared toward young riders who are eager to gain independence, learn new skills, and build confidence on their bikes while exploring our city! Riders will learn the essentials of safe riding and will practice these riding techniques in a safe, age appropriate, and supportive environment.  They will also learn how to care of their bikes and basic bicycle mechanics, and we’re going to help them start their own bicycle toolkit.  Each morning, we begin with an overview of the day, followed by an on-bike skill-building session held in a vacant parking lot.  Then we will apply those skills on an age-appropriate ride where we will practice bicycle skills and riding as a group.  All campers must provide their own bicycle which has been certified by a local bicycle shop mechanic and have a properly fitted helmet.  Camps will be limited to no more than16 campers per session.

Mission, Vision, and Goals

  • Our mission is to bring kids together for a summer of safe, fun-filled biking adventure, learning, and friendship.
  • Our vision is a community where families and children are able to bicycle together safely and enjoy the many benefits and opportunities of bicycling.
  • Our goals are that campers learn to bicycle safely, skillfully, and maintain their bikes well, all while enjoying a supportive, interactive, and in-person experience that will lead to a lifelong love of bicycling.
BIG Bike Camps! is sponsored by Bicycling In Greensboro, Inc. and is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization incorporated in the State of North Carolina.  This camp is led by Carl Fenske who has been trained in Effective Cycling and is a CyclingSavvy Instructor.  He has been leading youth cycling camps and adventure tours since 1984 and taught fifth through twelfth-grade during his 38-year tenure.

What We Believe

Every child has the inherent freedom to ride a bike. We believe that the bicycle is not a toy but also a tool and a vehicle. Operating a vehicle in any capacity requires knowledge, skill, and personal responsibility. Through our program, children learn and practice the foundations of bicycle skills, safety, road use, and maintenance. Our purpose is to provide an immersive and supportive experience that equips children with greater awareness and skills to be confident and responsible cyclists and future automobile drivers.
No child should be excluded from participating in this camp because of financial resources.  Therefore, we are using a portion of our operating budget to offer a sliding-scale tuition based program to help each parent or guardian make this camp a reality for their child.  Children from every neighborhood deserve a chance to participate in our program.  We are an organization that strives to serve and empower children of Greensboro one bicycle adventure at a time.

A Typical Week at Camp

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.

How We Ride

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.