Cycling WA's AustCycle Teacher Inspires Olympic Dream

Recently Anthea Knowles from Mindarie Western Australia completed her training to become an accredited Level 1 AustCycle Teacher with Cycling WA's Be Active Cycle Instead Bike Skills Program.

The 34yr old mother of five initially used cycling and triathlons to improve her fitness level and lose weight. Anthea now hopes to use her accreditation to encourage others to use cycling as a way to engage in physical activity, in particular focusing on both the mental and physical benefits of doing so.

One person who was instantly inspired by Anthea's new skills was her 6 year old son Wiremu Knowles. "We had been trying for months to help our son, Wiremu, ride his bike so as we taught him I used some skills that I had learnt in the AustCycle course. We started with balancing without pedaling and going down a slight incline. It was a progression of the skills each one building on the next and most importantly we made it fun and turned it into games" said Anthea. "Before you know it he was riding on his own and joining in with the family, no stress just fun!" Anthea continued.

After learning to ride Wiremu was so happy with his new skills that he wrote a story about learning to ride with his family, and has now won a trip to the London 2012 Olympic Games. Wiremu's prize was won after he entered his story into the McDonald's® Champions of Play competition. Wiremu was 1 of 5 lucky kids who won this prize for an outstanding demonstration of the values of play. You can watch Wiremu's story on YouTube by searching Wiremu Knowles – Champions of Play Story.

"I enjoyed jogging with my bike before learning to pedal. I just kept trying and never gave up" said Wiremu. Wiremu is looking forward to seeing Big Ben and the Cycling at the London 2012 Olympic Games and is taking his mum Anthea with him.

Cycling WA is thrilled to have such an inspiring AustCycle Teacher on board with the Be Active Cycle Instead Bike Skills Program. "It has been a real treat to have new teachers like Anthea come on board to support our Be Active Cycle Instead Bike Skills Program. The program has just commenced it's second year of operation and I feel confident that with the support of our talented and friendly team of AustCycle Teachers that we can help to provide quality bike education to schools and the community in WA" said Cycling WA Development Manager Claire South.

For more information about Cycling WA and the Be Active Cycle Instead Bike Skills Program head to www.wa.cycling.org.au

Click on the following link to watch Wiremu's story. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FmrBwc6q0Y