Black Hills Harley-Davidson delivered 375 Strider Bikes to Rapid City Area Schools (RCAS) this week. The bikes were assembled in the dealership’s service department in a collaborative effort by various BHHD staff, who volunteered their time, along with RCAS employees, and then trucked to the schools.
The Strider Bikes were delivered to every kindergarten physical education class in the district and will be incorporated into their curriculum between December 2018 and spring 2019. This generous donation will help approximately 6,000 kindergarten students learn to ride over the next five years.
Rapid City elementary schools will receive everything they need to get their students pedaling (through the Kindergarten P.E. program). The program includes a proven, integrative curriculum, staff training and certification, and the revolutionary, child-friendly Strider 14x Sport bikes.
“This is an exciting new venture for our staff and students and we are grateful and proud that Rapid City Area Schools is the first district to launch the initiative,” said RCAS Superintendent Dr. Lori Simon. “Numerous studies show that riding a bike not only improves physical fitness, it also benefits student learning, development and mental health. Black Hills Harley-Davidson’s generous donation of 375 Strider Bikes will give every kindergartner in our district an opportunity to experience the lifelong benefits of knowing how to ride a bike.”
The fleet of dual-propulsion 14x Striders start as balance bikes and convert to pedal bikes. This conversion makes learning to ride easier than ever before and makes training wheels obsolete.
“The surest path to securing our future is to focus our collective energy on our goal to build the next generation of Harley-Davidson riders,” said Al Rieman, co-owner of BHHD. “We must become as good at building new riders as we are at building great motorcycles and creating unmistakable Harley-Davidson experiences.”
The iconic dealership is donating the bikes through the Adopt-A-School Program, part of the nonprofit Strider Education Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization. Rieman emphasized, “For us to all become great at building new riders, and to work collectively, we must realize that the love of riding has to start at an early age. That’s why we’re proud to support the Strider Education Foundation and create the next generation of riders in Rapid City.”
“We are super excited about this district-wide rollout,” said Ryan McFarland, Founder, President and CEO of Strider Sports Int’l. “Our vision is for every kid in America to learn to ride before first grade. Having Black Hills Harley Davidson step up in such a big way to support Rapid City Area Schools is a huge first step toward seeing our vision become reality. And it’s a great way to kick off our ‘All Kids Bike’ national campaign.”