The French Ministry for Education and Youth, the French Ministry for Sport and Olympic and Paralympic Games and Amaury Sport Organisation have come together to launch an operation aimed at promoting cycling proficiency in schools. While the Tour de France pack will be covering approximately 3,500 km between Friday 1st and Sunday 24th July, the School Solidarity – A Bike for All operation is aiming to see 3,500 classes totalling 100,000 pupils take part.
From Friday 10th June to Friday 24th June, the classes taking part in the operation
will be able to organise a cycling focused action based on the French cycling
proficiency programme “Savoir Rouler à Vélo”, which enables children to acquire the necessary skills to be genuinely independent on a bicycle for when they start junior high school.
A.S.O. has committed to donating to French charity Secours Populaire Français up to € 100,000 (€ 1 per child that takes part in one of the operation’s cycling learning activities during this period) in order to provide bicycles for children supported by Secours Populaire.
The Tour de France – Savoir Rouler à Vélo major challenge is a cycling proficiency operation that promotes both solidarity and learning. Aimed at schools, this operation is intended for primary school classes inciting them to organise a cycling-based action between Friday 10th and Friday 24th June, to take advantage of this occasion to implement part or all of the Savoir Rouler à Vélo cycling proficiency programme (block 1, 2, 3 or all of them). The aim is to reach out to 3,500 classes to equal the 3,500 km covered by the Tour de France! This programme enables children to learn the skills required to be independent on a bicycle for when they start junior high school. With a total duration of 10 hours split into 3 learning blocks, these fun and educational activities allow children from 6 to 11 years old to use a bicycle as a daily means of transport in total safety. For example, the workshops in block 1 make it possible to learn the basics of cycling: acquiring good balance as well as learning to ride and steer a bicycle correctly (pedalling, turning and braking). On completion of these 3 blocks, the pupils receive a Savoir Rouler à Vélo cycling proficiency certificate.
As part of the Tour de France – Savoir Rouler à Vélo major challenge, learning is combined with a commitment to solidarity. Indeed, the aim is to train 100,000 children, between 10th and 24th June, in good cycling practices. For each child that will have taken part in one or more blocks of the operation, one euro will be donated by A.S.O. to the Secours Populaire charity. The money collected will enable the charity to provide a bicycle and accessory equipment to the children it supports. This commitment is in addition to the actions set up by Secours Populaire during the Tour de France, particularly its operation Les Oubliés du Sport (sport’s forgotten children). For more than 15 years and thanks to the mobilisation of its volunteers each summer, these operations allow almost 700 children to enjoy a day’s holiday in the height of summer coinciding with the visit of the Tour de France. This year, 10 stages on the Tour de France will be concerned by this action.
Christian Prudhomme, Tour de France Director:
“The “Riding into the future" programme backed by the Tour de France aims to promote cycling as a form of mobility. By committing to promoting the “Savoir Rouler à Vélo” cycling proficiency programme with the French Ministry for Education and Youth, the French Ministry for Sport and Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as Secours Populaire, the Tour has once again given concrete proof of its strong commitments aimed at offering the joy of cycling to as many people as possible, particularly children from underprivileged and impoverished backgrounds. The School Solidarity – A Bike for All major challenge is a wonderful, fun, educational and solidarity-encouraging proposal to promote soft mobility to young children”.
The French Ministries for Education and Youth and for Sport and Olympic and Paralympic Games:
The French Ministry for Education and Youth as well as the French Ministry for Sport and Olympic and Paralympic Games are delighted to contribute to the School Solidarity – A Bike for All operation and point out that the “Savoir Rouler à Vélo” cycling proficiency programme aims to give children aged 6 to 11 years a fun opportunity to learn how to be independent and safe on a bicycle.
The School Solidarity – A Bike for All operation will directly impact 100,000 pupils who will benefit from cycling-based actions organised by their school, whilst providing access to learning how to ride a bicycle for underprivileged children, thanks to the strong commitment of the Tour de France and Secours Populaire.
Thierry Robert, Managing Director of Secours Populaire in France:
“Taking part in sport contributes to physical and psychological well-being based around strong collective values and also participates in self-development. It is a great means of expression and a vehicle for social links, leading to reduction of inequalities. Thanks to the commitment of A.S.O and the “Savoir Rouler à Vélo” cycling proficiency operation, hundreds of children supported by Secours Populaire will receive a bike and thousands of others will be made aware of solidarity, the principles of Secours Populaire and the values of sport”.
