I just checked the weather forecast. Tomorrow, we’re down to a 30% chance of rain, so, I’m hoping, crossing my fingers that, we’re back into our spring 3 O’clock shower, 6pm sun cycle.
Having said that, it’s Bike Night rain or shine, baby. Lastweek it dumped. Not in a good way. Well, on second thought, maybe it was a good thing, I’m sure there are people who have moved here from the Pacific Northwest and have been longing to use their favorite umbrella or raincoat. However, I think, it was unanimous among the three of us, who rode through Old Town the weather conditions were pretty crappy.
Tomorrow will be different, though. We will meet at 6:30pm at Roosevelt Park, I’ll do my little spiel and we’ll get rolling by 6:40ish. Our route will stay in Old Town.
We’ll see such sites as Sunset Golf Course, hopefully a sunset over the Indian Peaks and the always interesting and evolving Grant Street “Art in the Alley” project. Good times.
About Kids & Rider Safety:
Kids are always welcome on Bike Night, however if your child is riding a bike with training wheels or a stryder – you should have them ride in a trailer or on a tag-a-long/tandem. If your child is going to ride with the Bike Night group, which can be as large as 130 riders, ask yourself if you’re sure he or she knows how to ride safely. Bike Night is not a race, and is not a time to show off their mad BMX skills. Take a minute tonight and talk about bike safety with your kiddo and how to ride safely.
I’ll touch on this tomorrow night prior to our ride. The important thing to remember is your child is your responsibility and he or she should always be within your eyesight and within the sound of your voice. It’s fun to be the leader of Bike Night and over the past 8 years I’ve noticed kids really like to be in front with me. That’s great, but if your child likes to sprint between stop signs or repeatedly gets ahead of the group – I will give them a gentle reminder to stay with the group. If this happens repeatedly, I may ask your child to stay with you during the remainder of the ride and the entire next ride.
Tomorrow we will be on the streets of Old Town, where, generally there are few cars. We do ride on streets with bike lanes. These are typically busier streets. So tonight go for a walk or if you pick your child up from preschool or elementary school point out the Bike Lanes and remind your child that they should always be in the bike lane – even on Bike Night.
Wow. That was kinda heavy – The cool thing with all of this is, if you do Bike Night regularly you will see your child become a better rider – and – they will start self-policing themselves and the other kids on the ride. It’s a fun process to watch and be a part of.
Bicycle Longmont will offer another Kids Bike Safety class this year. The class will be prior to Bike Night on June 1st at Central Elementary School at 4:00 pm. If your kidinski attended last year’s, come again this year. A refresher is always a good idea. There is no cost for this class.
The class will end with enough time to grab a quick bite to eat prior to Bike Night beginning.
The following link will lead you to the League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycling Tip sheet. I’m trying to find something a little more kid friendly but, haven’t found it yet. Anyway, you’ll have to do some translating to break it down for your child, but click here. If you find a top 10 list or something please let me know. I’ll post the link here.
See you tomorrow night!
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