About this Event
Introduction
These cycle lessons are open children aged 3 and above. The lessons split into two courses for children who need to learn to balance or have already learned the basics of balancing, and those in a position to transition to pedalling.
For each session, we have:
- Eight places available for balance bike training, and
- Four places available for transitioning to pedaling.
These courses are split over two consecutive weekends and each lesson begins at 11am. It is important that you are able to attend both on consecutive Sundays.
Like most things in life, each child is an individual and will develop their skills at their own pace. We evaluate each child’s skill level on arrival and monitor and adapt our training through each session.
NOTE: If your child is currently using stabilisers, they MUST join the balance bike training, first. Please see below.
Please bring your own bike and helmet. If you don’t have either we will provide them.
****Please arrive ten minutes early****. For each session, we ask you to arrive 10 minutes early so we can fulfil the pre-session requirements of our Public Liability Insurance - registration, bike adjustment and a safety check and to enable us to evaluate the starting skills level of each child.
What to Expect
Balancers - Balance Bike training. A course of two lessons over two weeks for children who are not yet able to ride a bike, They may be complete beginners or able to stride on a balance bike or they may be comfortable on a bike with stabilisers - but new to balance bikes. The course will teach them to be comfortable gliding on balance bikes and, in some cases, onto their first rides on a pedal bike.
Pedallers - Riding a pedal bike independently. A two-lesson course spread over two weeks for children who are just starting to pedal a bike without stabilisers. Typically, they’ll already be confident on a balance bike and able to glide for around 5 metres on a gentle slope.
By the end of the course, they’ll be comfortable riding a pedal bike independently and, in some cases, we’ll also introduce basic road safety knowledge and simple on-road skills.
Parental/Adult Participation. Most children get a huge benefit from having a parent or other adult join in during the lessons.
With guidance from the trainer, the accompanying adult will be encouraged to take an active role helping their child when appropriate and reinforcing the techniques and key messages. This also means you can carry on using the same approach when the child practises at home, which really helps with progress.
Children who ride with Stabilisers
***Stabilisers do not promote and encourage balance which must come, first.***
It’s very common for children to use a balance bike after their stabilisers have been removed, because stabilisers don’t help them learn the most important skill: balance.
If your child still uses stabilisers and hasn’t yet become confident on a balance bike, we recommend focusing on balance first, before moving on to pedalling.
Questions?
If you are unsure as to what level of ability your child has and, therefore, which Training group they should be in, please email us at [email protected] and we can help you decide.
**LOCATION**
Please note the location of the Faringdon Cycle Park VERY carefully if you are travelling to the park for the first time!
The Cycle Park can ONLY BE ACCESSED, IF COMING BY CAR, from the 'Folly Sports Park' which, itself, can only be accessed along Stanford Road from London Street.
Please visit and follow the instructions VERY CAREFULLY to avoid getting lost or being late for your lessons.
DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, PUT THE POST CODE FOR THE CYCLE PARK INTO YOUR SAT NAT AS YOU ARE LIKELY TO END UP IN AN INCONVENIENT SPOT!
The Cycle Park is situated beyond the rugby pitches and is difficult to see from the car park. You will find yellow signs directing you around the outside of the tennis courts and rubgy pitches to where the lessons take place.
Farcycles is a community cycling charity which runs cycle teaching for children and adults. Training for beginners and improvers is carried out at the state-of-the-art Faringdon Cycle Park which opened in July 2019. There is a rubberised area for beginners and tarmac roads for improvers and for teaching road safety. The area links to a traffic-free 1km path, and from there to quiet residential roads, as cycling ability progresses. Trainers leading the sessions have undergone appropriate training and are DBS-checked.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Faringdon Cycle Park, Stanford Road, Faringdon, United Kingdom
GBP 10.00
