Bike Ready Position: Level Pedals and Pool Noodle Bumps

Schoolyard practice of the ready position, or standing position, on the bike: pedals level, knees and elbows bent and weight centered, the foundation for riding trails with roots, rocks or bumps. Students practice on a cone course with pool noodles on the ground as soft obstacles.

How to play

1. Quick helmet and bike check (brakes, tire pressure and wheel quick-releases) and form pairs who share a bike (4 min).
2. Explain and demonstrate the ready position: standing, pedals level, knees and elbows bent, eyes ahead and two fingers on the brake levers (3 min).
3. Straight cone lane, switching between seated and standing on a partner's signal, without the bike drifting (6 min).
4. Pool noodle bumps: three noodles on the ground 3 m apart; ride over them standing, absorbing with arms and legs, without pedaling over them (8 min).
5. Combined course with noodles, a wide turn and a stop in a marked zone; the partner watches and gives one correction (7 min).
6. Share-out: what happens if you ride over an obstacle seated or with uneven pedals (2 min).

Rules

• Helmet buckled at all times on the bike.
• Only one bike per section of the course, at least 5 m apart.
• Ride over the noodles at a right angle and at low speed.
• Students not riding wait outside the course in the marked area.

Variations

Adaptations

• Hearing impairment: sit and stand signals are given with the arm.
• Little experience or fear of riding: practices the position walking beside the bike, then in an area without obstacles.
• Limited mobility: takes part on an adapted bike or tricycle in the cone lane, or as an observer with a technique sheet.

Learning goals

• Use the ready position as the technical foundation for riding on uneven ground.
• Absorb obstacles with arms and legs while staying in control.
• Give and receive technique corrections in pairs.

Equipment for a class of 25

• bikes: 15
• helmets: 15
• pool noodles: 20
• cones: 20

Teacher tip

If the school has no bikes, ask students to bring them from home with permission and check each one before starting. Pool noodles are ideal because they squash flat if someone hits them badly.

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