- On this World environmental Day, the “École Solidaire – un vélo pour tous les enfants” (School in Solidarity - a Bike for Every Child) operation kicks off! Once again, this year, the French Ministry of Sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the French Ministry of Education and Youth and the Tour de France are joining forces for an initiative to promote the “Bike Riding Skills” (Savoir Rouler à Vélo’, SRAV) concept in schools. The operation aims to get 3,500 classes, or 100,000 pupils, to participate.
- During June, the classes taking part in the operation will be able to organise their cycling activities based on the SRAV programme, which helps pupils acquire the skills they need to ride a bicycle independently and safely by the time they get to secondary school.
- Tour de France is committed to donating up to €100,000 to Secours Populaire Français, Qhubeka and the ANAIS Foundation (€1 per pupil who takes part in a SRAV learning initiative during this period).
The "School Solidarity — A Bike for Every Child" operation targets primary school classes that organise a cycling event in June and take the opportunity to implement all or part of the Bike Riding Skills (“Savoir Rouler à Vélo, SRAV) programme (blocks 1, 2, 3 or all). Target: 3,500 classes, like the 3,500 km the Tour de France covers! This programme teaches children how to ride on their own when they start secondary school. Over 10 hours, divided into 3 learning blocks, these fun and educational activities enable children aged 6 to 11 to get to grips with the bicycle as a safe everyday means of transport. The workshops in Block 1, for example, teach the basics of cycling: how to balance properly and how to ride and steer a bike correctly (pedalling, turning, braking). At the end of the 3 blocks, students receive their SRAV certificate.
A full-scale demonstration will be staged in Nice, in the presence of Matteo Trentin, three-time stage winner of the Tour de France (2013, 2024, 2019), at 10:30 am on Friday, 7 June. In addition to a series of lessons on how to ride a bike and the SRAV programme for 300 children from the Terra Amata school group, this programme will also open a weekend devoted to cycling in Nice: “Nice fête le Tour” (Nice celebrates the Tour). The city hosting the arrival of the next Tour de France and L’Étape du Tour will be organising bicycle and balance bike routes on Saturday, 8 June. The winners of the “Dictée du Tour” (Dictation of the Tour) will also be rewarded.
This initiative also educates children about the benefits of cycling, particularly in terms of health and the climate. It reminds them of the importance of regular physical exercise, which is a major national cause in 2024.
As part of the Tour de France - SRAV challenge, education goes hand in hand with a commitment to solidarity. The aim is to get 100,000 children involved in good cycling practices during June. For each child participating in one or more SRAV blocks, Tour de France will donate €1 to 3 associations: Secours Populaire, Qhubeka and the ANAIS Foundation, for a total of €100,000. The main objective of this donation will be to train children from underprivileged backgrounds to learn how to ride a bike and offer bikes to those not fortunate enough to have one.
About Savoir Rouler à Vélo, SRAV
The Savoir Rouler à Vélo (SRAV) programme was initiated in 2019 to encourage children aged 6 to 11 to learn to cycle and travel independently. This three-module programme aims to enable children to become independent cyclists before they start secondary school and to embed the reflexes of moving towards low-carbon mobility from an early age. An inter-ministerial initiative, the SRAV programme is steered by the Ministry of Sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, in conjunction with the federations and all the parties involved in cycling, and benefits from financial support via the French National Agency for Sports (ANS) local authorities and approved sports associations in setting up training courses.
