This spring Cycling BC’s iRide program ran a pilot program at Cedar Elementary in the Nanaimo-Ladysmith School District 68 and our local iRide instructor, Stephen Pilcher, continued offering the iRide after-school program which is now in its 4th season.
On April 20-22nd, 2021, Cycling BC’s iRide Manager, Ben Chaddock visited Cedar Elementary, just south of Nanaimo, BC, and delivered an unforgettable three days learning bike skills, safety, and having fun outdoors. The pilot program was designed to introduce School District 68 to iRide’s in-school program with the hope of attracting interest from enough schools in the district to move one of our iRide bike fleets to the area next year.
“What a fantastic way to start the year! The Nanaimo area is close to my heart as I have family ties in the area and over the past 7 years, I was always hoping for a chance to bring our school program to the district. With Stephen running the after-school program in the region for 4 consecutive years and a new youth cycling club on the way in 2022, we are hoping that enough schools in SD68 book iRide for 2022,” said Chaddock. “The kids were great listeners, ready to pedal, and excited to learn so much. It was a really satisfying trip.”
Interested schools can learn more here. The Ride program requires 6 of the 8 available spots for Spring 2022 booked by November 1, 2021, in order to commit a fleet to the Nanaimo area for spring 2022.
In other news, the iRide After-School program led by Stephen Pilcher in Nanaimo just wrapped up its 4th consecutive year this spring season.
“This year’s program was a great success. We had 14 riders registered for the program, including some drop-ins. We were able to add another coach to the team which allowed us to take on more kids this season. The kids loved the games and the small wooden features and Diver Lake Park is such a wonderful area to introduce kids to cycling. Each day we wrapped our lesson with a fun ride in the local trails. Nanaimo is getting bigger and with that comes more kids on bikes. I am stoked to be a part of their growth experience,” said Pilcher.
To learn more about Stephen’s next after-school program starting September 23rd, 2021, please click here.
