A few weeks ago I wrote about the steps some cycling chaperones and I took to usher 60 middle school age kids along the Sammamish River Trail for a safe 20-mile bike ride.
Little did I know at the time that the Adventure Cycling Association had just released a first-ever youth bicycle guide entitled “Pedal Pioneers: A Guide to Bicycle Travel with Kids.”
This doesn't just cover one-day outings, though. It's tells how to lead long, overnight bicycle camping trips.
The folks at Adventure Cycling say that putting kids on bikes gives them a sense of empowerment and a chance for adventure that can turn into a life-long pursuit of exercise and fitness.
The trick for adults is setting up the bike trips, and this is where the guide can help. The book talks about trip design and development, turning kids into cyclists, resources and logistics, life on the road and coming home.
Adventure Cycling certainly knows about bicycle touring. It's the Missoula, Montana, outfit that started as Bikecentennial more than 30 years go. Since then the nonprofit has added dozens of bicycle routes to their original TransAmerica route and has led hundreds of bike tours.
The authors say the guide is aimed a leading groups of kids, although it can certainly help families that are setting out on a bike tour with children, up to including college age.
You can check out the table of contents and appendix in this Pedal Pioneers .pdf sample. Adventure Cycling explains the youth cycling guide here and tells how to order it at the Adventure Cycling store.
(For a much more elementary, seat of the pants checklist on preparing for a short trip on a bike path, read my experiences at How to keep 60 kids safe on a bike path.)
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