Learn 2 Ride
THE GOAL: To learn safe cycling skills, build confidence riding, and experience the joy of cycling.
Learn2Ride is an introductory cycling course for grade 4-5 students. It aims to teach them basic road rules, safe cycling concepts, and bike handling skills. Taught by trained instructors, students learn through interactive activities and on-bikes skills practice on the schoolgrounds.
All public elementary schools in Metro Vancouver are encouraged to submit their interest in a Learn2Ride program to see if there is funding available within their municipality. Schools outside of Metro Vancouver may also be eligible to receive a Learn2Ride program through the new Everyone Rides Grade 4-5 program. This is an exciting, government-supported initiative with the aim of delivering cycling education to all of British Columbia’s grade 4 & 5 students. Find out more about the ERG45 program here.
The curriculum was first developed in 2014 in consultation with local cycling instruction experts and external school-based reviewers, and in consideration of existing curricula. HUB Cycling reviews the content of the course annually and has made regular updates and improvements to the course to ensure it remains current and effective.
Interested in having a Learn2Ride program at your school?
What to Expect
Our HUB Instructors are Bike Right certified to ensure the quality of all in-person lessons. Meet our team!
Equipment: To make this course accessible to everyone, our helmets and fleet of 18 bicycles - plus adaptive bikes - accompany each program. We also ask students to bring their own when possible.
Evaluation: School staff are asked to complete an online survey after the course to measure course impact and changes in habits within the school community. In some cities, additional surveys are administered to evaluate outcomes in more depth.
Unit 1
Our standard program brings HUB Instructors to your school over 2 days for a presentation and on-bike skills.
The first visit is to deliver an engaging lesson on safe cycling for each participating class. Students learn fundamentals such as parts of the bicycle, helmet and bike inspections, how to ride responsibly, and much more. Unit 1: Introduction to Cycling Safety is covered in 60 minutes.
Unit 2
The second visit has students practicing on-bike skills using simulated traffic scenarios around the schoolyard. Students have their bike handling skills and road knowledge challenged as they rotate through drills, games, as well as shared pathway and intersection scenarios. Unit 2: On-bike Cycling Skills Training is covered in 70-90 minutes. Classroom teachers have the rewarding opportunity to get involved at the New Riders station with HUB's easy, step-by-step method outlined in this guide and video.
Online Course Alternative: Learn2Ride Online
As a distance learning alternative, we offer an online bike safety course called Learn2Ride Online. It is hosted on the popular education platform, Moodle, which allows it to be completed any time and from any device with an internet browser. The content has been kept straightforward and interactive in hopes of being a self-guided resource for young cyclists. For example, a Spot the Differences game teaching bike safety gear, and a Memory Game for road signs. Learn more about this resource here. We also have a Learn2Ride Activity Sheet that teachers can share with their students in advance of our visit.
Check out the course in action!
Read what these past Learn2Ride recipients have to say:
“I think you are offering a great program! It’s especially nice to see in a community such as ours where many of these kids have never had the chance to ride a bike.” - Grade 4/5 Teacher, Surrey
"What a great day. I worked with the non-riding group. 5 of those kids were riding by the end of the hour." - Monique Zander, Grade 4/5 Teacher, District of North Vancouver
"I didn’t have a bike or helmet so I borrowed them and I got a helmet and a bike but my bike wasn’t ordinary, I got a sit tricycle. It was fun, my bike was awesome and I had lots of fun." - Surrey student, who used an adaptive recumbent tricycle
Course Photos:
