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January 12 – Arbor Glen
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March 23 – Marion Diehl
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May 11 – Arbor Glen
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August 17 – Berewick Rec Center
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October 19 – Arbor Glen
Learn to Ride adds MORE Cyclists to Charlotte
FREE Program Puts Kids AND Grown-Ups on Two Wheels
Count more than one hundred kids and adults among Charlotte’s newest cyclists. They ditched the training wheels for good during Saturday’s Learn to Ride event at Marion Diehl Recreation Center.
Learn to Ride has minted more than 500 new bike riders of all ages this year using the “balance bike” method. Saturday’s event capped a year of five Learn to Ride events that brought the program to school parking lots and Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation facilities across town. Organizers are looking at locations now for a January event.
“The Learn to Ride program is much more than teaching folks how to ride a bicycle,” said Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Director Jim Garges. “It’s about encouraging them to believe in themselves, understand the importance of trust and embrace alternative forms of transportation.”
“Getting new people riding a bike – no matter what their age – is a life skill,” said Ben Cooley, event co-founder and owner of Bicycle Sport. “It’s never to late to learn!”
Learn to Ride is a not-for-profit, 100% volunteer series of events to grow Charlotte’s cycling community, one new cyclist at a time. Learn to Ride is made possible in partnership with Bicycle Sport, Trips for Kids’ ReCyclery – Charlotte and well-run media + marketing with support from Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation, Mecklenburg County Public Health, and Unknown Bike and Brew and Crank Mafia cycling clubs.
For more information about Learn to Ride, check out the program website at www.learntorideclt.com. Or, contact Dick Winters with Mecklenburg County Public Health at 980-314-9067 or Dick.Winters@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov, or Ben Cooley at Bicycle Sport at ben@bicyclesport.com, or 704-335-0323.
Learn to Ride Another BIKE! Charlotte Hit
Charlotte, NC – Dozens more freshly minted cyclists ditched their training wheels this weekend at Saturday’s “Learn to Ride” event. This third Learn to Ride event of the year drew more than 100 cyclist, parents, friends and volunteers.Saturday’s Learn to Ride event was also part of a big weekend on the BIKE! Charlotte calendar.
Kids and grown-ups from all over Charlotte took advantage of the free opportunity and the practically perfect weather to learn to ride a bike using the “balance bike” method. The parking lot at 2145 Suttle Avenue provided plenty of wide open space for these new cyclists to gain the confidence to ride.
“Getting new people riding a bike – no matter what their age – is a life skill,” said Ben Cooley, event co-founder and owner of Bicycle Sport. “It’s never to late to learn!”
Learn to Ride is a not-for-profit, 100% volunteer series of events to grow Charlotte’s cycling community one new cyclist at a time. Learn to Ride is made possible in partnership with Bicycle Sport and Trips for Kids – Charlotte, with support from Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation, Sustain Charlotte, and well-run media + marketing.
For more information about Learn to Ride, contact Dick Winters with the Mecklenburg County Health Department at 980-314-9067 or Dick.Winters@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov.
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Media contact: DC Lucchesi dc@well-runmedia.com or 704-577-8459
Video from March 12th’s Event
Way to go all you new bike riders! Thanks for making today’s #LearnToRide event a hit, with Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation, Trips For Kids – Charlotte, and our friends at well-run media + marketing!