Cycling Skills Linked to Increased Riding
Study shows that creative programs engage young people.
Here’s an idea for a new and different adolescent fitness program that’s good for health and the environment, while taking advantage of the outdoor exercise trend. In Switzerland, bicycling for transportation declined 64% among 16- to 20-year-old adolescents, the largest decrease for any age group.
Researchers created a 2-week cycling skills training course that included practice riding over a wooden plank with a ladder and controlled riding over a step. Before and after training, investigators measured the relationship between cycling ability and bicycle use. Improved skills were linked with more bicycle use and cycling as a mode of transportation.
The study is available in the Journal of Transport & Health (2022; doi:10.1016/j.jth.2022.101345).
See also: High-Cadence Cycling and Recreational Cyclists
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA, is an internationally acknowledged integrative health and mindfulness specialist, best-selling author of 16 fitness and wellness books translated into multiple languages and sold worldwide, award-winning health journalist, contributing editor to Fitness Journal, media spokesperson, and IDEA's 2008 Fitness Instructor of the Year. She's a 25-year industry veteran and former health and fitness educator at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, who has served on multiple industry committees and co-authored trade books and manuals for ACE, ACSM and YMCA of the USA. She has appeared on TV worldwide and was a featured trainer on America's Next Top Model.
