Bike Rodeo brings local youth, law enforcement together

PINETOPS — A group of 15 cyclists based in Rocky Mount teamed up with the Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies to share with local youth the joys of riding.

Good Company Cycling held the back-to-school bike safety event Saturday in conjunction with the sheriff’s office, Edgecombe County Public Schools and the N.C. Highway Patrol.

The bike rodeo held at the Edgecombe County Sheriff’s training center in Pinetops was billed as an inaugural community event dedicated to teaching children about safe biking practices, including hand signals, biking etiquette and maneuvering obstacles, among other lessons. The event was free for participants and open to the public, and for children to participate in the rodeo, parents were able to register and sign a waiver.

Edgecombe County Sheriff Clee Atkinson said he wanted the event to promote physical activity and healthy lifestyle choices for local youth. He told the children during opening remarks that “you have got to earn your way through life” and encouraged them to strive toward their goals.

Good Company Cycling members who attended the event demonstrated the different types of hand signals, as well as how to utilize them when riding in a group. They also showed how to identify obstacles and debris on the road for other bicyclists, and the importance of being aware of their surroundings.

The cyclists and sheriff’s office staff then took the 12 children in attendance outside to practice riding their bicycles utilizing the lessons taught. Afterward, the children competed against each other in a slow-ride race, as well as a relay race around the training center. The children were given awards for participating in the bike rodeo and offered new bikes courtesy of Good Company Cycling.

N.C. Highway Patrol Trooper J.J. Garrett, who was on hand for the event and educated the children on proper helmet usage, said that the bike rodeo was well-executed and did a good job of promoting physical activity.

“It’s something different; it’s something new for the students, the community and law enforcement,” Garrett said.

After the relay race, the sheriff’s office provided lunch for all the attendees of the event. Atkinson said that the event had a good turnout and that it would likely be brought back next year.