Students across Australia will embrace a healthier start to the day on Wednesday, March 17 with thousands of schools across the country celebrating National Ride2School Day.

More than 100,000 Aussie kids will celebrate the annual event at their schools with healthy breakfasts, all-day cycling festivals, school parades and bike excursions.

National Ride2School Day is an opportunity to promote physical activity as a means of transport which has proven benefits to

a child’s health and wellbeing.

Comedian and radio announcer Matt Tilley of

Melbourne’s Fox FM has hopped on board the Ride2School Program and is the 2010 National Ride2School Day Ambassador.

“Sure, riding to school is a great way to keep kids

active and confident in their own abilities,” he said.

“But let’s be honest, more than anything else it’s the only guaranteed way for kids to avoid that

embarrassing kiss at the school gates or mum sitting in the school car park in her pink dressing gown.” 

Ride2School Events manager Mary Akiki said schools registered in the program had reported nearly half of their students were actively getting to school

either by riding, walking, or by scooter.

“By actively getting to and from school student’s daily physical activity increases significantly, which benefits their overall health and helps reduce the risk of obesity and associated health problems,” she said.

Bicycle Victoria’s chief executive officer Harry Barber said National Ride2School Day in 2009 was a success with more than 1000 schools registering and 100,000 students enrolled.

“National Ride2School Day allows parents and teachers to embrace active travel as an alternative,” he said.

“The event has become the largest ever national

celebration of walking and riding to school.”

The Ride2School program, run all year round, is well on the way to changing the active travel habits of

students since it began in 2005.

It is free for schools to sign up, and no cost need be involved on the day

Log onto www.ride2school.com.au to sign up and receive a

promotional kit.

Preparing for the day is knowing the ABC of cycling – some very basic yet important rules before starting off.

A is for air in your tyres. All bikes perform better

if they have the prescribed amount of air in the tyres.

This amount is found on the side walls of the tyres and in doing so they will hold the road better in cornering, roll along with minimal resistance and be able to flatten enough to grip the road surface.

The right amount of air keeps the optimum amount of rubber in contact

with the road, making it safe all round for the rider and others they share the ride with.

Are the tyres themselves in road worthy condition and not cracked or worn out?

B is for brakes. Are they road worthy in working order the first time every time?

Are the brake blocks aligning with the rim

surface which is clean and oil

and grease free?

Are the brake cables working freely, not requiring excessive pressure because the cables are seizing?

A visual inspection and push with some active use of the brakes to gauge their

responsive operation will only take moments but give confidence the bike will

be safe.

Checking a back pedal brake is as just important.

C is for a number of

important checks to make the circle of safety complete.

The chain being at

the right tension can make

a lot of difference. Nothing worse than dropping the

chain from being too loose and your child struggling to get the chain back on.

Chain tension can affect back brakes operation and a tight chain can make the back wheel slip sideways

in the frame, bringing the riding experience to a

grinding halt.

C can also stand for the dreaded crash and our greatest fears of being injured. There used to be a very

prophetic message for wearing helmets of “don’t hit the road without one”.

Is the helmet cover itself in clean and sound

condition with no cracks and

abrasions with the inner padding for absorption of pressure in event of a fall?

Is the clip in a condition  so that it does not come open and stays locked?

Are the straps correctly aligned so the front of

the helmet is no more than two fingers’ depth above the eye brows with side clips located just beneath the ear lobes?

See you on the road soon, God willing.