This summer, Bike to the Sea partnered with the City of Malden Department of Recreation, The Malden Mayor’s Youth Employment Program and The Great Malden Outdoors to take on a new endeavor of teaching Youth and Adult Malden residents and surrounding communities how to ride a bicycle at Linden STEAM Academy’s parking lot!
In this 8 week program, we provided information and a demonstration of how to properly wear and fit the students’ bicycle helmet, because safety first! Additionally, without the use of training wheels, we taught students how to balance on their bicycles and then taught them the technique of pedal power. Helmets were provided by the Malden Police Department and City Councillor Peg Crowe. Bicycles for students to borrow were provided by The Bike Connector in Lowell. With the assistance of two youth employees from the Mayor’s Youth Employment Program, League of American Bicyclist Instructors, and Bike to the Sea staff, and the sponsorship by the non-profit organization, Adelaide Breed Bayrd Foundation, roughly 140 youth and 10 adult students participated overall with many of them leaving feeling overjoyed, confident and accomplished with learning a new life skill and mode of transportation.
Seen in photo to the left is one of the instructors, Vivian Ortiz (on left in blue shirt), providing guidance on how to move with the bicycle with her assistant instructor, Gavin Bibbins (on right in yellow shirt) ready to demonstrate cycling skills with his personal bicycle.
After each class, students who did not already own a bicycle were strongly encouraged to visit the Bike to the Sea Bike Kitchen in Malden to receive a refurbished bicycle to continue practicing the skills that they had learned. Students will also be invited to participate in their first group bicycle ride on the Northern Strand Trail this fall!
Instructor Gavin teaches the pedal power technique to some of our adult students.
…this is my first time and honestly speaking, I was really hesitant – but, I loved it. And honestly, I wasn’t quite sure if I could learn to ride a bike in an hour, but I did more than that. So thank you Malden, thank you Bike to the Sea. Thanks so much.
– An adult student
Click here to see the entire Learn to Ride photo and video album.
If you would like to see this program continue next year, please reach out to jlevine@cityofmalden.org