Cycle safety focus of free workshop (+ video)

A free and fun cycling safety workshop has seen both children and adults out on their bikes and gaining biking confidence - and there are more opportunities on the way for those who missed out.

The Love Your Bike! Cycle Safety Workshop, held at Kuirau Park yesterday, was run by workshop intructor Hugh Bootten and the Rotorua Library.

Mr Bootten said the workshop involved looking at fundamentals including braking, controlling the bike and changing tyres.

It also went through a full safety check of bikes and fitted helmets.

Mr Bootten said one of the exercises involved applying the brakes, which was not about stopping fast but with control.

He said it was in emergency situations such as when a car was pulling out where you needed to instinctively be able to react.

"These kids might not be on the road for a couple of years but, when they do, they have the information in the back of their mind."

Mr Bootten said a highlight of workshops like this for him was teaching people who could not ride bikes.

He said there was a child at the workshop who could not ride a two wheeler and getting her to pedal the whole way round was a huge step.

Ihita Nath, 8, said she learned a lot about bikes at the workshop.

She said her favourite part was doing the lane exercises, when you had to put two fingers on the bike brakes when you reached the pink cone and then make sure you had come to stop in line with a yellow cone.

Her mother, Jaya Sinha, said she decided to take Ihita to the workshop to develop her confidence in biking.

Mr Bootten said every Tuesday starting this week there would be cycling sessions held at the Government Gardens and who showed up determined what the session would involve.

If people had flat tyres or wanted a safety check they could arrive 15 minutes early for Mr Bootten to lend a hand.

For more details visit www.cyway.nz