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Riding to school
Aussie students to break into the cycle this Friday

More than 350,000 students from 800 schools around Australia are set to break into the cycle and ride to school on National Ride2School Day tomorrow.

National Ride2School Day is Australia’s biggest bike riding party and the peak of the Ride2School program which works to help children get their 60 minutes of daily exercise by riding a bike to school.

The program is now in its 13th year and National Ride2School Day will be held on Friday the 13th. To celebrate and add some extra fun to the day, children are encouraged to dress up in spooky clothing.

Bicycle Network General Manager of Public Affairs Anthea Hargreaves said that National Ride2School Day is the best time to start going to school the healthy way.

“National Ride2School Day is a fun way for students and parents to experience the joy of riding a bike. There’s no better time to make riding to school part of your routine,” added Ms Hargreaves.

“Riding to school is free and fun, helps you avoid fighting for a car park at the school gate and can also help students perform better in the classroom.”

National Ride2School Day is a free event open to all primary and secondary schools in Australia. Schools who register for the day receive a special pack including posters, promotional material, stickers and a count sheet to tally the number of students who ride to school.

“National Ride2School Day is a great introduction to the wider program and can be the catalyst to creating a school of healthy, active students,” added Ms Hargreaves.

“Ride2School helps break down the barriers to active travel, with schools in the program reporting more than double the national average of students who ride, walk, scoot and skate to school.”

Students won’t just be doing it for themselves, with many schools also fundraising for World Bicycle Relief to send specially designed Buffalo Bicycles to villages in Africa.

The Buffalo Bicycles give children in developing countries a way of getting to school safely and quickly. Without access to bikes many children miss out on an education or can be put in risky situations by riding to school.