Erin Lockwood rode her first BMX when she was four years old. As a child, her brother would always encourage her to try the challenging jumps. Years later she went on to become a national BMX champion in her first year as an Elite Women’s competitor after following him into the sport.
Key points:
- Increased traffic has made learning to ride a bike more challenging for some city kids
- Busy lives and an increase in built-up areas are contributing factors for the delay in building bike skills
- A council-run program has begun teaching toddlers to cycle more confidently
She said she loves BMX racing because it was an individual sport with a strong team spirit.
“You’re out there on the track on your own but you’ve also got a team of people behind you supporting you,” Lockwood said.
“Most people within the BMX community, you become like a big family.”
Urban spaces not cycle-friendly
Cycling enthusiasts said increased traffic as a result of the Gold Coast development boom had made it more challenging for kids to learn how to ride.
It meant some youngsters were taking longer to ditch the training wheels compared to previous generations.
Bike shop owner Mark Stout said it was something he had noticed.
“In our area you might find potentially it gets a little bit older because the areas to ride are getting a bit more built-up.
“So their experience levels can be a little bit lower,” Mr Stout said.
Learn-to-ride workshops
Gold Coast City Council said both busy parents and urban sprawl made it harder for young children to find the time and space to learn how to ride.
But a local, council-run training workshop has tried to turn the wheel on those speed bumps.
Councillor Pauline Young said the Training Wheels to Two Wheels program was designed to get toddlers cycling confidently again.
“The earlier we get our kids aware of the environment around them when they’re out riding, I think the better we are.
“The city’s got an ever-increasing volume of people using our roads, so to develop those skills is a good thing for the city and a good thing for the safety of our residents.”
Younger riders have ‘no fear’
Mr Stout said balance bikes, those without training wheels, are ideal for first-time riders.
“It’s teaching them some of those skills you can’t explain to kids, that forward momentum and centrifugal force that will give you that stability,” he said.
“You just can’t explain those concepts. You have just got to experience it.”
It was what the toddlers use at Nerang BMX club where ‘mini wheelers’ as young as two years of age are hitting the track.
“I coach a three-year-old myself and he lives and breathes BMX,” said Lockwood.
She recommended kids learn to ride as young as possible.
“When you start when you’re older, you look at these big jumps and you’re like ‘oh my God, too scary’.
“These little kids, they just go as fast as they can, and try to hit all the big jumps. They’ve got no fear.”
