Students at Juniper Elementary School met this morning at Shelly Park in Sparks for "Bike to School Day."
Safe Routes to School and the Washoe County School District Police are teaching students the importance of wearing helmets, learning traffic laws, and watching out for cars.
"If you want to tell traffic that you're stopping, you're going to do this," said Officer M.J. Cloud with the WCSD Police as she demonstrated the downward arm motion used to signal traffic.Â
It is also about teaching kids the importance of an active lifestyle.
"Getting kids on the bikes and getting them active, that's a great, healthy, learning, young, lifestyle change," said Officer Cloud.
Before taking off, the kids got their helmets repaired, a bell for safety and a water bottle for the long, well, about one mile, ride from the park to the school. Not to mention with a Sparks Police and Fire escort.Â
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For some, the ride was tiresome. One student exclaimed, "That was a long way!" For others, it was a time to show up to school in style. Student Madison Sable showed off her bike with her favorite sticker on the front. She told us she got it after getting good grades.
National Bike Month is not just about kids riding their bikes. Reno Cycling and Fitness has seen lots of people come into get their bikes tuned up and ready to ride. They say not only does biking to work save money, it gets people in a better mood.Â
"You get that rush of endorphins after your workout so when you get off your bike, you go into work, you already got that going, it lifts your mood and gets you started off right," said Dean Deming, Manager at Reno Cycling and Fitness.Â
For more on National Bike Month, click here.Â
