BikePGH’s Dan Yablonsky with the whole group of Bulldogs on Bikes at the Neighborhood Academy

The Neighborhood Academy Students complete the first in-school adaption of BikePGH’s City Cycling Classes

Way up at the top of Black Street in Stanton Heights, two groups of students at The Neighborhood Academy spent September and October learning how to safely ride bikes with BikePGH’s Confident City Cycling Classes.

The students were part of the school’s “Bulldogs & Bikes” program funded through the Sprout Fund’s Hive Fund for Connected Learning. Bulldogs and Bikes was created to engage the youth with a healthy way to explore their city.  One group worked at the Free Ride Bicycle Collective to build their own bicycles. The second group was preparing to start their first season of Cyclocross racing. Both groups did a tremendous job working with BikePGH to complete the first in-school adaption of a City Cycling Class.

Their City Cycling Classes were completed in three sessions. The first day focused on basic bike maintenance, properly fitting a helmet, and techniques for starting/stopping.  The second day students practiced a number of handling drills: scanning, quick stops, body/bike separation, signaling and changing gears.  On the final day, students took all they learned and put it into practice with a group ride on the road!

These students are not only able to experiencing bicycling’s benefits to health and concentration, but also gained an understanding of the mechanics of a bicycle and knowledge of safe riding skills. The Neighborhood Academy realizes that students will take this education forward with them onto exciting new experiences. (They’re already exploring what life is like on the racing circuit!) Education is paramount in creating a more Bike Friendly Community. BikePGH is glad to have identified community partners who understand this as well.

BikePGH is currently working with three other schools to adapt the City Cycling curriculum to fit their student’s needs, launching in spring ’15. If City Cycling is something you’d like to see at your school, contact Dan at education@bikepgh.org!

See more picture on BikePGH’s Flickr!

Socialize. Get up-to-date. Share your ideas. Want to hear the latest information on biking and walking infrastructure improvements coming to Pittsburgh? Do you want to shape the future of BikePGH’s work? Join us for the 2014 Annual Member Meeting on Thursday, November 20 at Point Park University, downtown. This meeting is open to all BikePGH members. Reserve your seat today OR become a member today to attend.