Read the Latest Local Scoop!

8/21/07 E-Newsletter

What made the 2008 VCCool Kids’ Bicycle Rodeo special was how the bicycle community pulled together for the kids. In a classic story of “stone soup” everyone reached a little farther to give what they had to the youngsters of Ventura. A new addition to Summerfest, the bike rodeo, had safety training, skill tests, rides, and puppet shows. A child could walk away with a personally fitted new helmet, their bike repaired and ready to ride, and maybe even a full set of lights installed. Free. We started with nothing but a good idea, and ended up with a full-featured event packed to capacity with kids and families.

The most important goal of the bicycle rodeo was to teach kids and families that bikes are traffic. Cyclists, even small ones, need to follow almost the exact same laws that motorists do. Follow traffic signs, lane markings, and lights. Use signals (arm signals). And unless you’re young or new to bikes – stay off the sidewalk and on the road. It’s a safety thing that most bicyclists and motorists alike just don’t get.

Ventura’s police department managed to spare an officer to teach traffic rules. But not just any officer. Tommy Higgins attended his first bike safety rodeo when he was eight years old. He won a new bicycle for his skill, and then two more bikes at later rodeos! He’s a serious cyclist. After getting off work at 2 a.m. the morning of the rodeo, he showed up with his police bike, complete with a siren and one very loud horn. He’d squat down to tike level and carefully explain how the sidewalk is like the road (with cars pulling out of driveways), so pay attention to traffic rules. A perfect foil for my more slapstick approach about smelly cars and global warming, and my safety “pop-quizzes” to make sure everyone was awake.

The Channel Islands Bike Club, a group of fun-loving recreation cyclists who interact more like an extended family, gave a generous grant that helped fund a large portion of the rodeo. Excited by the prospect of new young cyclists, their bright yellow jerseys dotted the event as they shared their extensive road knowledge with the children.

As a global warming group – the last thing VCCool wanted to do is give out lots of plastic tchotchkes. We were thrilled when Giant Bicycles agreed to donate complete light sets as prizes for the 8.5 mile the ride. Patrick Vanhorn, Giant’s Communications Manager, came down with his wife to install the lights. A two hour commitment, they somehow ended up repairing bikes the entire day. Five other mechanics stayed busy right beside them. Larry Bott, scheduled to leave at noon, was still fighting with frozen gear cables on a pint-sized bike, thirty minutes after the event had officially ended. (Given the skill and difficulty of the work, it’s sad to note that most local bike mechanics are so grossly undercompensated. Perhaps that will improve as gas prices continue to skyrocket.)

Shelly Sund, matriarch of Ventura Bike Depot, hand delivered parts and helmets at or below cost, counseled us on what kids think is cool (BMX helmets), and even showed up to help wrench. I ordered 20 hot pink helmets to make sure that girls were explicitly welcomed into the culture of bikes. Christy Cantrell, another great female role model, and just in from a 42 mile Kinetic Sculpture race, taught the fix-your-own-flat classes.

Though there were several hitches and “opportunities” for improvement, one mistake we did not make was to ignore culture. You want change? Bring in the artists! And don’t forget the food. The human connection was present and accounted for. Eileen Murrie donated eight gorgeous hand-painted signs in Spanish and English. Lynne Okun of Kids Arts stenciled helmets with non-toxic spray paint. Lassen’s provided healthy lunch and juice for every volunteer, with Trader Joe’s adding snacks. Odie Hendershot, a big-hearted kid care worker, did puppet-shows with youth volunteers from the new branch of City Corps. And from VUSD, a wonderful group of Spanish/English interpreters worked the crowd helping everyone to feel welcome and a part of.

For our part, the VCCool staff was obsessed months before the event, working crazy hours the last week before the rodeo. And we weren’t the only ones. At midnight before the event, my printer still cranking, Tren Morris of Uncle Tren’s Race Productions showed up with a truck full of equipment, plus boxes of tubes and reflectors donated from Trek Bikes. (He was holding his own race early that morning.)

The stars of the 2008 bike rodeo were the kids. Their bright faces peeking out from under their bike helmets, bravely pedaling through the skill course, little arms signaling the directions, their parents beaming. With an estimated 500 people in attendance, the rodeo crew was exhausted at a cellular level. But how could we not give our all to something so close to the heart? With barely a week gone by, many volunteers and organizations are already lining up for the next rodeo.