Helping kids learn to ride bikes

Bikes in Schools helps get kids on bikes. As each new school track opens, it’s always a huge thrill to see kids learn to ride, and gain fitness, confidence and a sense of adventure.

"My legs are my petrol,” said one very young Hastings lad on his first ride.

“We haven’t yet found a child who didn’t want to ride,” says Paul McArdle who established and runs the programme.

Teachers also say riding kids are happier, healthier and better students.

All this was wonderfully brought to life in a feature on Bikes in Schools on Nine to Noon on Radio NZ in January. Here's the link to the story online, with the audio replay down at the bottom of it: https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018780985/bikes-in-schools-best-thing-ever

Bikes in Schools already benefits 30,000 children in more than 100 schools...and is aiming to raise that by a further 43,000 kids in the next few years.

According to 2015 Ministry of Transport figures, the average time biked by children aged 5 to 12 fell from 28 minutes a week in 1990 to just four minutes a week in 2014. The average distance they ride fell from 2.8km a week in 1990 to 500m in 2014.

At the Akina Foundation, we’ve proved the wider health, family and community benefits of kids riding more in a Social Return on Investment analysis.

To help raise money for Paul and the kids, we eight riders on Team Akina will compete in the 2021 Tour of New Zealand cycle race, April 10-17. For details about our eight days of racing, please click here for the Tour of NZ website: https://www.tourofnewzealand.co.nz/

Please support us!

Thanks!

Katie Gormley, Leonie and Kieran Guiney, Donna and Corrie Smit, Kaye and Michael Watkins, and Rod Oram, a former trustee and chair of Akina Foundation.