As easy as riding a bike - Covid-friendly bike lessons in Salford and Greater Manchester

As easy as riding a bike – Covid-friendly bike lessons in Salford and Greater Manchester

A cyclist is running Covid-friendly lessons teaching children and adults how to ride a bike.

Emma Rose, from Bike With Emma, hosts one-to-one cycling courses for customers aged 3 and up, and Covid restrictions are not holding her back.

Following the Department of Education guidance, the Bikeability Trust-accredited instructor has adapted her teaching style.

Emma said: “I keep any physical contact to the absolute minimum. I want children and adults to learn in little steps how to find their own balance, control and sense of effort required to ride by themselves with confidence.

“I am putting strict measures in place to protect myself, you and your children by limiting contact & the spread of the virus.”

This year, Emma was nominated as Cycling UK’s top 100 women in cycling and has been teaching for years. She said: “In 2018 alone I taught 1,377 children and adults to ride bikes on weekend Learn to Ride sessions”

In an online poll, it was found that during the first lockdown, 62.7 per cent of participants rode their bikes more than usual.

Yep. Actually considering getting rid of my car completely 😱

— Ax (@CBallHitBallRun) December 7, 2020

With the increase in people getting on their bikes, Emma saw an increase of students.

Before the first lockdown, Emma’s business looked very different. “I used to do group lessons, but now with the bubbles we can’t do those any more.”

The ‘support bubbles’ have been put in place by the government to aid lockdown measures for some people. They mean people across two households may meet, but only under certain circumstances.

For example, if you live alone you could form a bubble with another household, and do not have to distance from the members of the second household.

To find out more about support bubbles, click here

However, these bubbles do not support a business such as Emma’s.

To continue providing bike lessons, she has had to alter many aspects of the learning experience. Her consent forms are all online to prevent the spread of the virus.

Learning to ride a bike can be a daunting task, Emma said: “If your child needs encouragement from you or reassurance after a tumble, it is fine for you to be close to your child, but please remember to keep 2 metres from me.”

In another online poll, it was found that 83.7 per cent of participants learned to ride their bikes before the age of 10, although, for some, it came later.