Education
The Greater Mankato Bike and Walk Advocates provide safety education on bicycling and walking in the Greater Mankato Area.
Walk and/or Bike Rodeos
Rodeos are skill-building clinics developed for the purpose of teaching children basic walking and bicycle-riding to practice and develop effective skills. Rodeos provide a chance to learn, practice, and demonstrate skills in a fun, noncompetitive atmosphere. Participants will gain increased knowledge about traffic safety, walking, and bicycling; transfer the knowledge to the practice of skills and decision-making while walking or riding a bicycle; and be energized and excited to want to learn more and to engage in walking and bicycling.
For more information or to host a rodeo, please contact Board member Kristen Friedrichs.
Mankato Area Bike Fleets
From our beginning, GMBWA understood that one key to expanding biking in a community is to work with the public and parochial schools. With a 2015 commitment from our school district to support a bike-walk curriculum and teacher training, GMBWA set about acquiring a fleet of bikes that could be used in the schools. With the help of our local State Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP) coordinator, and great timing, we received a substantial Super Bowl grant in 2017 which allowed us to purchase two fleets with trailers to store and transport them. These fleets continue to see regular use in Mankato schools, other schools in the region, and for non-school community education and events. A GMBWA committee coordinates the scheduling, maintenance, and delivery of the fleets; and provides assistance to teachers if requested. GMBWA has been working to integrate adaptive bikes into the fleets and provide them to kids who would benefit based on requests from teachers.
Smart Cycling/TS 101
Greater Mankato Bike and Walk Advocate Board Members who are League of American Bicyclists certified instructors offer the TS101 courses. Certified instructors or Walk! Bike! Fun! Curriculum trained board members can help organize and lead rodeos for your group.
Smart Cycling/TS 101 is a traffic skills course that gives cyclists the confidence they need to ride safely and legally in traffic or on the trail. The course covers bicycle safety checks, fixing a flat, on-bike skills and crash avoidance techniques and includes a student manual. Recommended for adults and children above age fourteen, this fast-paced, course prepares cyclists for a full understanding of vehicular cycling. Traffic Skills 101 is a nine-hour multi-day course and is a prerequisite to becoming an League Cycling Instructor.
For more information, to register for or host a class, please contact board member Lee Ganske.