We all know that learning to ride a bicycle is a crucial starting point to one day riding motorcycles. With fewer children riding bicycles, we will see fewer motorcyclists in the future. According to statistics cited by All Kids Bike Founder Ryan McFarland, 35 percent fewer youngsters ride bicycles than ten years ago, and 75 percent of American children will not ride a bicycle once in 2021. McFarland’s organization is out to change that, and the Flying Piston Benefit is doing something concrete about it.
Held annually at Sturgis Buffalo Chip, the Flying Piston Benefit raises funds for All Kids Bike. All Kids Bike is part of the Strider Education Foundation, which has 348 schools in 43 states running the All Kids Bike Kindergarten PE Program. The result is nearly 60,000 kids on bikes.
Custom motorcycle builders craft Tiny Strider Customs for the Flying Piston Benefit, with the Striders sold at the Mecum Motorcycle Auction in Las Vegas. Jessi Combs and Terry Madden got the ball rolling in 2019, building a Tiny Strider Custom to send bikes to Los Angeles Unified School District’s Marvin Elementary School and 6th Avenue Elementary School.
By supporting the LAUSD All Kids Bike program, the expectation is that hundreds of thousands of students will become riders.
All Kids Bike upped the ante with a Strider bike build on October 29 at the Petersen Automotive Museum. The Striders were assembled by a litany of wheeled-sports industry celebrities, including Sturgis Buffalo Chip Owner Rod Woodruff, and handed over to Halloween-costumed kids at teachers at Marvin and 6th Avenue Elementary Schools with LAUSD Chief Academic Officer Aliso Yoshimoto-Towery looking on. The students took to two wheels instantly.
“Thanks to the generosity of the Flying Piston Benefit, the time and talent donated by custom builders, and the support of the buyers at Mecum Auction, and everyone who attended today’s bike build and delivery here in Los Angeles,” McFarland said, “we’ve been able to expand the All Kids Bike Program to two schools in LAUSD, helping us move closer to our goal of getting every child in America on a bicycle…The need is critical and timely, the program is impactful, and adoption is accelerating as more people become aware of this opportunity to help kids at a time when they need every opportunity to get outside, build confidence, have fun, and learn positive life lessons. We can’t wait to see the positive impact this program will have on the city of Los Angeles and across the country.”
