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Free Learn to Bike Program for Kids at Bicycle Village
  • One-hour classes each Sunday at all five Bicycle Village locations through September
  • For children ages 3 and up
  • Raleigh Bicycles offering $180 children’s bike for only $69 to program participants
  • Children can join Bike Trade Up program and get 50% off new bikes each year
BROOMFIELD, Colo. – July 25 – Launched as a pilot program last summer at the Westminster Bicycle Village store, the free Learn-to-Bike program for children was so popular that it has been launched at all Bicycle Village store locations for the summer of 2016. Many children have already participated and graduated from the program that includes getting kids fitted on the right-sized bike, along with a strong dose of safety tips and the importance of helmets. To assure that kids learn on the correct bike right from the start, children participating in the program will be offered a nearly 50 percent discount on the purchase of selected Raleigh youth bicycles by program sponsor Raleigh Bicycles.
 
Parents of children ages three and up can simply call their local store to reserve a spot for their child or children at any of the one hour open sessions held every Sunday morning through Sept. 25 at all five Bicycle Village locations on the Front Range including Boulder and Colorado Springs. Times vary slightly by location.
 
Average class size varies by location but all offer a 1:4 coach to student ratio. Classes are taught by specially-trained instructors from the Bicycle Village stores using a curriculum developed by long-time cycling instructor George Sharman.  About half of the participants learn in just one session with a 100 percent success rate based on three sessions. Children can attend as long as needed at no charge until they have mastered the basics of riding a bike.
 
“We are firm believers that biking is a lifetime sport that can be enjoyed at every level of ability by just about everyone,” explains Sharman, Learn to Bike program director. “We felt that a fun and easy learning environment with parents engaged in the learning process was the best way to make sure that youngsters get launched into the sport with skills and not training wheels. We set a strong foundation emphasizing safety and fun to keep these kids biking for life,” he added.
 
Once kids have officially learned to pedal, they receive a bike medal and have their photo taken so that it can be posted inside the store alongside other class “graduates.” To see photos of other participants, visit any Bicycle Village.  
 
The strategy is to keep kids on the right sized bike through their childhood and teen years through the Bike Trade Up program that mimics the Junior Trade In program for skis and snowboards for youngsters during the winter. Bikes purchased at any Bicycle Village can be returned the following summer and earn a 50 percent discount on the next sized bike assuring that every child can be properly fitted each year on a bike that fits them as they grow. Free annual bike checks are also part of the program.
 
“The real inspiration for this program is to help create lifetime cyclists through a fun and safe introduction to the sport that gets them on the right bike for their age and size, ” offers Dwight Debroux, area manager for Bicycle Village. “Then, we want to keep them engaged and enthusiastic about a recreational sport that supports a healthy lifestyle. With our Bike Trade Up program, kids are fitted onto a new set of wheels every summer which we think will rev up their excitement while keeping them on a properly fitted and safety-checked bike,” he concluded.
 
For details about Learn to Bike, visit http://bicyclevillage.com/about/learn-to-bike-pg787.htm. To reserve a spot, parents simply need to call their preferred location and book a reservation.
 
Aurora: 303-750-1064; 2802 S. Havana
Colorado Springs: 719-265-9346; 2450 Montebello Square Drive
Boulder: 303-440-8525; 2100 28th Street
Littleton: 303-978-9699; 8100 West Crestline, Unit B
Westminster:  303-421-4001; 9170 Wadsworth Parkway in Broomfield
 
Media Contact
Joan Christensen, (970) 509-0710, joanccommunications@gmail.com
 
About Vail Resorts Retail
Vail Resorts Retail operates more than 185 specialty stores in and around its 12 resorts in Colorado, Utah, Lake Tahoe and the Midwest as well as in the metropolitan areas of Salt Lake City, San Francisco and Minneapolis. In addition to renting and selling ski and snowboarding equipment, the stores offer gear for a variety of outdoor recreational activities, including hiking, camping, cycling and tennis and outdoor furniture. 
 
About Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN)
Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading global mountain resort operator. The Company’s subsidiaries operate nine world-class mountain resorts and three urban ski areas, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado; Park City in Utah; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada; Perisher in Australia; Afton Alps in Minnesota, Mt. Brighton in Michigan and Wilmot Mountain in Wisconsin. The Company owns and/or manages a collection of casually elegant hotels under the RockResorts brand, as well as the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning and development subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com
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