In 2023 a group consisting of the Warner Police Department (managers of the Rosa Valpey Trust Fund), Central NH Bicycle Coalition, the Bike-Walk Alliance of NH, S&W Sports, Cyr Lumber and the Friends of the Concord-Lake Sunapee Rail Trail donated a fleet of bicycles and related gear to the Kearsarge Regional School District so the PE teachers in the four elementary schools could teach all the kids in Kindergarten and first grade how to ride bikes. The fleet of bikes rotate from one school to the next. The result is every child in the seven town district will be taught how to ride in school.

In five weeks, with two classes per week, kids went from never having been on a bike to riding on a rail trail. See how they started on balance bikes – bikes with no pedals! – and then progress to riding with pedals. No training wheels involved.

We believe kids all learning to ride together with everyone using the same equipment creates a positive first introduction to cycling. We hope that fosters a desire to do more biking once the unit completes. The kids were having an absolute blast on this day and the teachers and staff supervising reported the unit had been very well received by everyone.

Area families looking for bicycles can take advantage of the annual spring bike swap sponsored by Central NH Bicycle Coalition every May – the weekend after Mothers Day. There are also multiple bike shops in Concord (S&W Sports, Trek) and many across the state.

Concord School District is next.

The Friends of the Concord-Lake Sunapee Rail Trail and Central NH Bicycle Coalition are working to bring this learn to ride program to the Concord School District. Like Kearsarge, the Concord School District has 4 elementary schools which can share a fleet of bikes. This keeps the bikes in use during more of the school year. We anticipate this will roll out in Concord in 2024.

As a rail trail organization we strive to provide safe and convenient places to become more comfortable riding a bike. We hope to see many young riders and their families on the trail in the years ahead.

We should stress that at the very beginning of the process we asked the school districts if this was something they were interested in pursuing. We worked closely with the districts in a supporting role to deliver a solution that met their needs. Sincere thanks to the folks in the districts for their time and encouragement.

We look forward to seeing you at Market Days in Concord June 22, 23, 24 from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM. This year our booth is at the corner of Pleasant St and S Main St, right in front of Pitchfork Records.

If you want to join us for a couple of hours sign up for a shift at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e49aeae22a4f5c61-clsrt1#/ Its so much fun describing all the projects and progress we have going on.

And we just extended the trail surface in Concord last week with more construction planned for this year in multiple towns.

Persistence pays off! Both the Friends of the Concord-Lake Sunapee Rail Trail and the Town of Hopkinton had applied to the NH Bureau of Trails for Recreational Trails Program funding for this project in previous years. In 2022 the Town applied again and this time received the grant. The partnership calls for the town to be supplying the in-kind labor and materials for this project while the Friends of the Concord-Lake Sunapee Rail Trail is providing the cash match of approximately $4,500.

This project creates a safe traffic separated connection from Houston Fields to the new sidewalks along Kearsarge Ave so students at the middle and high school have an easier more direct way to reach the library and playing fields. It also creates a walking loop using Pine St, Kearsarge Ave, and Houston Fields.

The Town of Hopkinton received its official notice to proceed in the second half of June 2023. Construction began mid October of 2023.