Safety comes first on cycle rides

CYCLING is a fun sport and a great way to get moving. But it’s important to be safe and know the rules of the road.

So when training for the Cape Town Cycle Tour Junior ride which takes place on March 5 at Youngsfield Military Base in Wynberg remember safety comes first.

The Pedal Power Association has tips to ensure everyone has an awesome, safe, time while cycling:

● The number one rule is: no helmet, no ride. Your helmet should fit properly, which means it must sit level on your head and have strong, wide straps that fasten snugly under your chin. Once fastened the helmet should not move around on your head.

● Ride with a friend or an adult. It’s more fun to ride with someone else anyway. It also helps to have more than one set of eyes on the road. If you are cycling with your friends, always tell your parents where you will be riding.

● Take mom or dad’s number with you. If there’s an emergency, you get lost or fall off your bike and are badly hurt, somebody needs to be able to contact your parents. Make sure you have a parent’s cellphone number with you.

● Never cycle with headphones. It’s important to be able to hear what’s going on.

● Cycle in bright and colourful, reflective clothing. Fit lights on your bike (a white light in front; a red one on the back). This way, motorists are more likely to see you.

● Use hand signals to show motorists if you’re going to turn or stop so they know what you will do next.

● Avoid riding in bad weather. Not only does the rain make the roads slippery, motorists can’t see you very well either.

● Cycling in flip flops or barefoot can be tricky and you want to have as much control as possible when you are on your bike.

Enter the Cape Town Cycle Tour Junior event. These rides are the perfect environment to practise cycling in bigger groups. There are five rides to choose from. The 1.7km fun ride is for littlies between 0 and 6 years old.

Children between 6 and 12 can choose from the longer 2.5km, 5km, 7.5km or 10km routes.

Registration for the ride is between February 26 and March 4 at Canal Walk Shopping Centre’s Centre Court between 9am and 9pm. Online entries close on Monday, February 22 , but you can still enter at Canal Walk until Friday, March 4.

The Cycle Tour is also collecting kids’ bikes and trikes for underprivileged children. So remember to bring unwanted bikes as well as books to drop off at schools that don’t have libraries.

● For more information on the Cape Town Cycle Tour Junior event see www. cycletour. co. za, select the “Cape Town Cycle Tour Junior” event from the list of Lifecycle Week events, and follow the easy instructions.