You never know if someone you know may know someone else who can help. A friend of a friend who is a cyclist or love kids may know someone who works at a printing company that can donate flyers or posters, they may know someone at a radio or TV station that can help arrange interviews, they may know a graphic artist that is willing to design ads for free to add to their portfolio of work, they may know a publisher of your local newspaper who is a cyclist and is willing to give you two half-page ads for free, they may know of a national cycling celebrity that lives in the area who is willing to help with radio and TV interviews, they may know a person who works at a public relations agency that is willing to help on a pro-bono basis. You know, you just never know!

Contact your local sports radio stations two to three weeks ahead of time about interviewing you regarding the upcoming event (including a local cycling celebrity, parent or kid helps make the interview more interesting). Ask your station contact if they provide on-air public service announcements. If they do, write a 30-second and a 60-second script they can read on air. Ask them if they would like to broadcast live from your event. Do your research ahead of time; go to the radio station’s Web site and learn about the radio host’s background. They may be casual or hardcore cyclists, they may have kids, etc. Knowing this information in advance will help you pitch the story.

The media is looking for stories to fill shows, and print and online news pages. Over time, pay attention to which media outlets cover stories about bikes, kids, fitness and health (many of them may be cyclists themselves). Make note of who wrote or covered the story and develop a relationship with the person by phone or e-mail. If you don’t have time to track all of that, simply go to the news organization’s Web site, look for staff bio information, search for articles about cycling or kids’ advocacy, find out who wrote the articles and contact that person. E-mail them well written press releases about your upcoming event. Write a press release that covers the who, what, where, when and why of your event. If it’s well written, they will copy and paste portions of it into their article and your event is publicized!

Three days before the event e-mail a very short, bullet-pointed explanation of the who, what, where and when of your event to all your media contacts. Make sure to explain in the e-mail why it will be a good event to cover (i.e. Kids advocacy, parenting opportunity, great photo opportunity of kids outside riding bikes, etc.).

Many local news agencies (i.e. CBS, FOX, NBC, NPR, your local newspapers, community magazines, etc.), have online community calendars. Post your event details on those calendars well in advance of your event.

Your local newspapers may offer reduced rates or even free advertising space. When you call, be ready to tell them about your event, why it’s beneficial to the community, etc. You’ll need to pitch them on your event just like you would a journalist (remember not too be pushy though).

Many billboard companies offer drastically reduced rates or even free billboard space to non-profit events. They often have remnant space they’d like to fill and sometimes the billboards stay up months after your event, which equals more advertising for your IMBA organization. Just like when asking for reduced or free advertising space in newspapers, be ready to tell them why your event is beneficial to the community.

Make posters and flyers and have volunteers take them to their local bike shop, grocery store, sporting goods store, school, fitness club, etc., anywhere where you think people who would be interested in your event might hang out. You can organize a one day volunteer poster/flyer distribution day, or just give your volunteers the posters and flyers and have them deliver them as they are running their everyday errands.

Ask local cycling clubs (many cities have more than one) if they will forward an e-mail about your event to all of their members.

Since your event is for a good cause, your local cycling event promoter might be willing to send an e-mail on your behalf to their database of their events’ participants. Ask them and see what they say.

If you have a blog, write about your event on a regular basis. Write about what you are doing to get ready for it, write that you are looking for volunteers to help, write about the benefits of getting kids outside, and write about how to teach a kid to ride, for example. These posts will help get the word about your event.

Web sites like Facebook and MySpace make it easy to promote your event to a large, diverse group of people. Both Web sites allow you to create event pages with the who, what, where and when of your event, add photos and blast that invite out to as many friends as you’ve got. Those friends that you invite can also send the event invite to all of their friends and it instantaneously creates a huge network of cyclists, parents and kids who may not have known about the event but now are interested in attending.

Tweet about your event. Twitter is a relatively new online social networking tool. Learn about it at Twitter.com. Sign up, search some key terms that pertain to your event to find other Twitter users who you think should be interested in the event. It’s pretty fun.

Try a combination of the above and see what happens. See what works and doesn’t work. Each year you will get better at it, and your event will be well publicized.

If you need help publicizing your event – we’ve created four posters in PDF form, which you are welcome to download and print out to use as you see fit. Save the file to your computer (don’t print from the browser), then take them to your local print shop or just print them out on your own colour printer. You can fill in your own event information with a Magic Marker or Sharpie and post them in local schools, bike shops, or community centers where kids and parents will see them.

Feel free to use the posters below –

Please be patient! Files are large so they might take a few moments to load. If you need assistance with posters, please contact program manager Justin Truelove.

Feel free to use our logo to publicize your event (download below). For high res versions (eps, ai, etc.) please email program manger Justin Truelove

A sample email invitation to blast to your group members, friends, and other contacts to promote the event is available for download below. You can edit the information and language. Its a good idea to include photos, club/organization logo, any sponsor logos, etc…

A sample press release template that you can send to your local papers, and radio and television stations is also available. After you send the press release, it’s a good idea to call to follow up and ask them to publicize the event beforehand in a story or listing in their community events board, and then request they send a reporter to cover the event (download below).

Thanks again for hosting an event. And please remember to take pictures of your event, post them to IMBA Canada’s Facebook Page, and send them to us at info@imbacanada.com.

For more, check out Ideas to Promote Your Local IMBA Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day.

Every spring and fall, in May and on the first Saturday of October, IMBA Canada promotes mountain bike events designed to get young people outside on their bikes. Known as “Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day,” the celebration is recognized across the globe. Recently clubs across Canada have been organizing events through the year to accommodate the better weather and their busy club schedules. We encourage clubs to make any day Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day!

In the words of Jedi Master Yoda, “Size matters not.” Start with a group size that you can manage–all sizes of events are welcome. Consider forming an organizing team of willing parents or interested families. Develop a plan for how you would like your day to look and feel. Think about the ages of kids you’ll be inviting (and parents!) and develop a plan so that there is adequate adult supervision. We’ve seen strider (pedal-less) bike rides with toddlers on up to teenagers on mountain bikes; and everything in between.

Pick a location where there are smooth natural surface trails, if possible. Beginner level trails or smooth bike paths are suggested for kids and adults that may not have riding experience. A trailhead, open space or park with multi-use trials suited to all abilities is best. This type of location allows groups to split up based on ability level. If you know the ability levels of your group, pick a trail or riding area appropriate for them. Ask permission from the local authorities/land managers, if required.

If you don’t have any trails near your neighborhood or town, pick a school, bike path, quiet dirt road, ball field, yard or park that is bike friendly. At a field or quiet parking lot, you can set up a skills area with typical sports equipment, such as cones, flags or other markers. Mountain bike “obstacles” can be created by laying 2×6 boards flat on the ground, simulating “bumps”. We recommend setting alternative lines through obstacle courses, so kids can ride an easy path or add more challenge if they choose. Use your imagination but keep safety and “challenge by choice” in mind. Encourage the kids to participate fully and look for experiences to stretch, learn and grow.

If you are thinking you need bikes to share or demo with kids that may not have a bike, consider contacting a local bike rental shop, Trips for Kids Chapter, YMCA Y-riders program, Boy Scouts, Girl Guides or school bike program.

If you are interested in partnering on an event check out retailers, clubs and IMBA affiliates near you. Or stay tuned to our list of events, that will grow as events are registered.

If you are expecting a crowd, consider planning some activities or educational “stations”. We’ve seen this work well when events include topics such as hydration, nutrition, sunscreen, helmet fitting, safety, skills and bike handling, rules of the trail, etc. This can be as casual as passing around the tube of sunscreen, making sure helmets are on correctly and sharing some snacks.

With willing adult leaders to lead and sweep (follow), take small groups 4-8 kids (with two adults) out on an easy route. For trail rides, splitting kids up by age and ability seems to work best, but always encourage the slowest rider to set the pace. Another option is to set a loop skills course, supervised by a couple of adult “coaches”. Kids can cycle through the course and get tips while they build their skills and confidence. This works great for the young ones while the older kids go out on the trail. The sky’s the limit and the most important thing is to have fun!

Treats always seem to help in motivating kids so stock up on your favorites (we like M&M’s)–but make sure you check with parents about allergies. It’s always a good idea for leaders to carry a small first aid kit and cell phone, especially if you are heading out for any distance from the trailhead.

If you are an organization conducting a Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day ride (club, chapter, shop or other), IMBA recommends you have parents fill out your organization’s acknowledgement of risk and release of liability form for all participants.

Pick the right tool
Kids 2 and under should ride in a trailer. Kids 3-6 can ride small bikes or pedal trailers. Kids 7 and older can ride their own bikes. Helmets are mandatory. Gloves are an excellent idea. Knee guards won’t hurt.

Pick a destination
Ride to a spot the kids will think is cool. A waterfall, a herd of bison, an ice cream shop… adults know it’s all about the journey, but kids look forward to the destination.

Bring lots of drinks and snacks
Not only is nibbling fun, it keeps kids’ hummingbird-like metabolisms stoked and ready to ride. Don’t forget sunscreen.

Make it easy
Keep rides short and not steep. This is your chance to turn video game masters into mountain bikers. If the kids think riding is hard, it’s back to the X-Box.

Stop often
Kids’ energy comes in bursts. Give them a chance to replenish their bodies – and their attention spans.

There’s more than one way to mountain bike
While old farts love long singletracks, young riders often prefer urban terrain, skate parks, dirt jump areas, BMX tracks and pump tracks. A fun ride might combine some of the above plus some trails. Be creative.

Lee McCormack is a journalist, bike skills instructor and co-author of “Mastering Mountain Bike Skills.” Lee lives in Boulder, CO with his wife and two kids. For more riding tips, check out Lee’s site, leelikesbikes.com

Interested in trail building with kids and teens? Check out this article, from our resources section.

Find a printable copy of the Kids Rules of the Trails here.