Uptown Cycling Challenge Promotes Safety

April 25, 2008

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal Staff Writer

Greenwood, SC - At this Thursday’s Uptown Greenwood Pro Cycling Challenge, many young people will crowd around Main Street, hoping to get a look at some of the region’s best cyclists.

Doubtless some of the youngsters will want to one day emulate the adults they see flying by at top speeds. The Greenwood Safe Kids Coalition, Wellness Works and Frank Coyle State Farm Insurance are going to give them a chance to get started.

The agencies will have a kids’ bicycle rodeo at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the fountain in Uptown Greenwood. The event will run in conjunction with the adult race. Wellness Works’ Marc Latham is helping coordinate the event, which will also provide children with free cycling helmets, while supplies last.

Wellness Works’ Marc Latham shows off one of the helmets that will be available for children at the kids’ bicycle rodeo and safety event, which will run in conjunction with Thursday’s Uptown Greenwood Pro Cycling Challenge. (Staff photo by Chris Trainor)

“This is a Safe Kids event where we will have a bike safety rodeo and bike helmet fitting for the kids prior to the adult race,” Latham said. “We will set up a safety course with several stations. Each stations teaches the children different safety aspects of riding a bike.”

Aside from a free bike helmet and fitting, each child will receive a free picture ID from State Farm that certifies they have completed the safety program. Latham and Greenwood assistant city manager Charlie Barrineau said all children will have to get a waiver signed by a parent or legal guardian in order to participate in Thursday’s activities.

Latham said there will be about 100 helmets available.

Following the safety rodeo, there will be a kids’ cycling race at the same location.

Latham said the event will stress the importance of wearing a helmet when riding.

“It is so important to use a helmet,” Latham said. “Wearing a helmet reduces the risk of going to the emergency room with a head injury by 85 percent,” Latham said. “Since we’ve begun the kids’ rodeo, we probably have 100 to 150 young people participate each year.”

With traffic on local roads getting progressively more congested, Latham said it is more important than ever for kids to be safe on their bicycles.

“It’s important for them to have a basic understanding of bike safety,” Latham said. “There’s more cars out on the road and children need to be aware of that. In the United States, we average about 300,000 kids per year going to the emergency rooms for some kind of bike-related incident. So, we want to help them learn to be safe, but also have a good time.”