Riding a bike is first a balance skill: once a child can glide with the feet up, pedalling comes quickly. After that come steering, braking, looking behind and riding with others, and then the sport itself.
How races are won
Most cycling races are won by crossing the line first or by the fastest time. Road races are ridden on roads; track races on a steep oval track called a velodrome; BMX races on a short dirt track with jumps and bends; mountain-bike races on off-road trails.
Rules children break first
A helmet, fastened, every ride.
Check the brakes before riding off.
Look behind before moving across or turning.
Keep a gap of two bike lengths from the rider in front.
No riding on a road without a trained adult.
At home you learn on a flat, car-free space
Scooting and gliding, starting and stopping, steering round cones, slow riding, looking behind and signalling, all in a yard, an empty car park or a school ground.
Words you will hear (33, in plain language)
Saddle
The seat of the bike.
Handlebars
What the hands hold to steer.
Brake lever
The levers on the handlebars that slow the wheels. Each lever works one wheel; check which is which.
Front brake
The brake on the front wheel and the one on the back wheel. Use both together.
Pedals level
Both pedals at the same height, one forward and one back, so the rider can stand up evenly.
Ready position
Standing on level pedals with the knees and elbows a little bent, ready for bumps.
Pedal start position
One pedal forward and up, ready to push down to start.
Scoot
Pushing along with the feet on the ground while sitting on the saddle.
Glide
Rolling along with both feet lifted off the ground.
Slalom
Riding a zigzag path round a line of cones.
U-turn
Turning round in a half circle to ride back the way you came.
Signal
Holding one arm straight out to show which way you will turn.
Junction
Where two roads meet.
Look-signal-move
The order for changing position: look behind, signal if needed, then move.
Gear
Settings that make pedalling easier (for hills) or harder (for speed).
Cadence
How many times the pedals go round in a minute.
Kerb
The raised edge between a path and a road.
Pumptrack
A looped track of smooth bumps and banked bends that you ride by pushing the bike down and up, without pedalling.
Pumping
Pushing the bike down into the far side of a bump and letting it rise up the next, to gain speed without pedalling.
Puncture
A hole in the tyre's inner tube that lets the air out.
Inner tube
The rubber ring inside the tyre that holds the air.
Tyre lever
A small flat tool for lifting a tyre off the wheel rim.
Single file
Riding one behind the other in a line.
Velodrome
An indoor or outdoor oval track with steep banked ends, for track racing.
Banking
The steep slope on the bends of a velodrome.
Pack riding
Riding close together in a group, taking turns at the front.
Track stand
Balancing on a bike without moving.
BMX
A small, strong bike and a race on a short dirt track with jumps.
Gate start
The start of a BMX race, when a metal gate in front of the riders drops.
Rollers
A row of small rounded bumps on a BMX track.
Wheelie
Riding along on the back wheel, pedalling, with the front wheel up.
Manual
Rolling on the back wheel without pedalling, balancing with the hips.
Bunny hop
Jumping the whole bike off the ground, front wheel first and then the back.
Nobody is late. A beginner of any age starts at Basic.
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Basic7 cards · show· hideThe child balances by scooting, starts, steers, brakes smoothly and stops, then pedals for a minute without help, rides standing and slowly, and stands still for a moment. Scooting and gliding come first, pedals later. No games against the clock at the very start.
Move on whenthe child rides a minute unaided, stops on a call, and rides a narrow straight lane seated and standing and a slalom of cones without a foot down.
Intermediate10 cards · show· hideQuick stops, swerves, looking behind, one-handed riding, gears and cadence, and riding in a group in single file; then the turn at a junction, small obstacles, a pumptrack, slopes off road and a family tour. The four habits for the road are looking, riding in the right place, signalling and knowing who goes first; real road riding needs a trained instructor.
Move on whenthe child does all the traffic-free skills smoothly: a look behind and then an arm signal in a lane, small obstacles rolled over, and a one-handed stop in a marked square.
Advanced4 cards · show· hideSkills for each kind of racing (BMX gate starts and pumping, track banking and pack riding, road group riding), race craft, and the training and mental skills of a rider. BMX skills are often learnt young; strength and endurance training comes after the growth spurt; track is rarely a first kind of racing. All of this is at a club or track with a coach.
A ball, a wall, a bat or a board. Most of the learning fits a room or a lane.
You do not need to know the sport. Each card tells you where to stand, what to say and what to look at.
Pick one thing to say in a session and say only that. The first week looks messy; that is normal.
End every session on one that works.
Cards marked At a club are taught by a coach. They tell you what the
coach teaches, what is safe at home, and what to ask the club before your child joins.