Does your child know how to wear a bike helmet correctly? How to check if his or her bike is safe to ride? How to ride safely and predictably on the road? These are just a few things children will learn at the second annual Bike the Lake set for 10 a.m. to noon, April 19 at Sailor’s Point, Peace Valley Park, Doylestown.
The first 100 children will receive free event T-shirts and goodie bags. Activities will include helmet checks, bicycle safety checks and maintenance tips, safe cycling rules of the road, a bike handling and skills course and—the event highlight —a guided six-mile ride around Lake Galena, led by experienced members of the Central Bucks Bicycle Club and leaving every half hour.
“Children need to understand that a bicycle is not a toy. It really is their first vehicle,” says Bob Ruddy, Central Bucks Bicycle Club president. “Bicycling is a fun family activity and it’s great aerobic exercise, but it’s important that everyone knows and follows the safety rules.”
Nationwide, bicycles are associated with more childhood injuries than any other consumer product except the automobile, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. CPSC According to the National Safe Kids Campaign, SafeKids more than 80 percent of bicycle-related deaths among children younger than 15 are attributed to bicyclists riding against traffic, running stop signs and other traffic violations. Head injury is the leading cause of death in bicycle crashes, accounting for more than 60 percent of bicycle-related deaths and more than two-thirds of bike-related hospitalizations.
Also at the event, representatives of Neighborhood Bike Works, NeighborhoodBikeWorks a West Philadelphia nonprofit organization that helps urban youth through bicycling activities, will be on hand to accept donations of outgrown children’s bikes.
Bike The Lake is co-sponsored by the Central Bucks Bike Club, Cycle Sports of Doylestown, HighRoad Cycles, the Bucks County Department of Parks and Recreation, Bucks County Highway Safety Department, the Bucks County Emergency Department and Neighborhood Bike Works.
For more information, e-mail BikeTheLake@cbbikeclub.org or call the Bucks County Department of Parks and Recreation at 215-489-5132.
The Central Bucks Bicycle Club is a nonprofit organization that promotes recreational cycling and long distance bicycle touring in the Bucks County region. The club organizes rides for cyclists of all abilities and levels of experience from casual recreational riders to competitive racers. Regular activities include: group evening and weekend bicycle rides throughout the year as well as occasional overnight bicycle trips and week-long excursions. The club’s premiere event is the annual Covered Bridges Ride in the fall which draws thousands of cyclists. For more information visit CBBC