The IMBA Canada Take a Kid Mountain Biking Project

Putting kids on bikes in Ontario and across the country

Background:

In 2008, IMBA Canada received funding from the Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion's Communities in Action Fund to get kids on bikes. The IMBA Canada Take a Kid Mountain Biking Project aims to put 1,000 Ontario youth on the trails in 2009 - by providing resources to community groups to help them plan family and youth-friendly rides, and by giving parents and leaders the basics to get kids pedaling.

The Take a Kid Mountain Biking Guide - a 12 page newsletter featuring tips on how to plan the perfect ride, will be released in early summer and distributed to bike shops and cycling clubs throughout Ontario. Download a PDF version of the Guide, or contact lora@imba.com to place an order for your copy(ies).

The Take a Kid Mountain Biking Web Pages on the IMBA Canada website, www.imbacanada.com, will feature a PDF version of the Take a Kid Mountain Biking Guide, and will serve as a clearinghouse for new information pertaining to youth and cycling. Links to the IMBA Canada Events website will allow ride leaders and organizers to post their kids rides, and promote their youth cycling programs.

All of our efforts to get more youth on bikes culminates in Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day on the first Saturday of October. On October 3, 2009, clubs across North America will plan kids rides and register their events on the IMBA website. While several Ontario clubs have participated in the past, our goal is to set record numbers for kids on bikes in Ontario this year. Help us get kids active and healthy by taking part in the Take a Kid Mountain Biking Project. Whether by planning an event, or just taking your kids out for a ride, we can all make this world a better place by moving our bodies and hitting the trails.

Stay tuned to the IMBA Canada website for more updates, coming soon.