Toddlebike
Toddlebike Element at Summer Cycling Festivals gets Toddlers on the road to independent riding.
A new cycling experience for Toddlers was showcased this Autumn at a number of Cycling Festivals and Family Events across the UK including the Isle of Wight Cycling and Bristol Cycle Festivals. The ‘Toddlebike Trial’ events were a big success and the organisers were delighted at the number of Toddlers aged 1 -3 who took the first baby steps towards learning to ride.
The ‘Cycle The (miniature) Wight Toddlebike Challenge’ on Tuesday 19 September in Ventnor, IW was attended by 18 1-3 year olds who quickly mastered the little bike and who found the drained paddling pool in Ventnor to be a perfect Toddler race track. The Toddlers also introduced themselves to the cycling discipline of Mountain Biking by going off-road to navigate the model island itself.
Claire Critchison, organiser of the Isle of Wight Cycling Festival explains how Toddlebike Events helped to broaden the appeal of the event to families who may not have considered the cycling as a hobby before:
“The Toddlebike activities were a fantastic new addition to the cycling festival and proved how important it is to encourage cycling from a young age. Our aim is to have something for all riders to take part in during the festival and Toddlebike means that the little one were not left out of the fun.”
On 24 September a Toddlebike Track formed part of the Carbon Cycle Celebration on St James Square in Newport. Once again Toddlers aged 3 and under joined in to take their place among the Cycling Festival Fun and while some pretty impressive Mountain Biking demonstrations were on show for the adults, the Toddlers preferred to participate rather than to spectate, some even attempting some tricks themselves on their own miniature bikes!
Harrison Hendy was one of the Toddler cyclists who at just 22 months jumped on board and led the pack, as Competitive Cyclist and Mum Nadine Hendy said:
“Harrison loved the Toddlebike from the moment we arrived, it was a great way for him to get some exercise and fresh air whilst improving his coordination and motor skills and generally having fun”
Toddlebike then staged a ‘Toddlebike Teddybear Trial’ as part of the Bike Olympics at the Bristol Cycle Festival where entrants had the chance to take a Toddlebike over a range of terrains spotting Teddy bears en route with prizes for rivers crossed, and the muddiest Toddlebike returned.
‘We are so grateful for the support of cyclists and the cycling media who widely recognise Toddlebike as the first way to introduce Toddlers to the hobby of cycling so it was great to be able to work with these major cycling events to demonstrate to parents that it is never too early to find practical alternatives to buggy transportation, and begin what will hopefully be a lifelong cycling hobby. We are already looking forward to next year’s cycling events, and more Toddlebike Trials to come this year, full details of which can be found on our website www.toddlebike.co.uk/events.
Jo Hockley, Founder, Toddlebike.