By Sheldon Spackman

Bicycle safety the focus of Don Campbell Elementary School Bike Roadeo

May 24, 2018 | 2:05 PM

Over 340 grade one to five students at Don Campbell Elementary School in Red Deer learned more about bike skills and bicycle safety during the school’s first annual Bike Roadeo and Student BBQ held on Thursday.

Principal Cam Pizzey says the idea sprang up about a month ago when they were contacted by Safety City to potentially hold such an event, adding activities largely take part in the school’s parking lot.

“There’s six different stations and so they rotate through the stations,” explains Pizzey. “So a grade would come out for 45 – 50 minutes. We divide them into six groups, they rotate between the stations and some of them are stopping stations, some of them are weaving around pylons and one of them is a bike check station.”

He points out Rod Rysavy from Savy Cyle in Red Deer donated his time to conduct the bike checks for students.

“There’s an obstacle course as well,” continues Pizzey. “There’s parent volunteers that mark-off if they can get through the station or if they need more work in that skill. Bike safety is one of the biggest things, making sure that their bike is in good working order, making sure their helmet fits properly because that’s really important.”

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“The other thing would be some of the skills such as stopping, which as you know is probably one of the most important skills aside from the safe bike, you have to be able to stop” states Pizzey. “And the steering, you have to be able to go through pylons, sudden things happen when you’re out on the roads and you have to be able to go right, left, stop, maybe even back up a little bit but just the basic skills is what we’re watching for.”

Event partners and sponsors include Safety City, Sinnott’s Your Independent Grocer, Bike, Walk and Roll Safety Committee and Goldec Hamms Manufacturing Ltd among others. Red Deer City Councilor Ken Johnston also came out to read a proclamation from the Mayor’s office that cycling starts now for the city.

“What we thought might be a small event – in house, turned into a nice big event with wonderful weather out there today, so you can’t ask for more than that,” concludes Pizzey.

Other schools to host bike roadeos in recent days include G.W. Smith Elementary and Mountview Elementary.