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“Actually, it’s like a dream that I would like to do for long time, but I didn’t have time to learn. The main thing is to learn for my health concerns and it’s good to be fit. And then the other thing’s like I got two children, so I want to teach my son. That’s the second thing. Since I am old, I didn’t thought that I can learn this time. But you can learn, everything you can learn, anything you can learn.”

“I think the first thing is just that confidence to actually bike, because at first when I came to the class, I knew nothing. I could not balance. I couldn’t bike. I couldn’t even rest on the bike to save my life, but I mean now actually I really like biking and turning and so I think the class just gave me that confidence to actually bike. The tutors were very patient with me and just encouraging.”

“I think it’s just confidence, because I think what adults, when you’re learning new skills, there’s always a lot of fear, because you don’t want to fall, you don’t want to hurt yourself, you don’t want to look silly. But I think the space, the environment, that it’s other adults wanting to learn and all of the instructors and volunteers are so supportive and helpful. I think it just builds and adds to your confidence.”

“I want to ride the bike because if I have a bike, I can go to the job, to the shop, to do the training with the bike. I liked the class because if you learn English, it can be important for you. To know English very well, to teach somebody the new English, it can be good. If I want to go very fast, I cannot go to take the bus. I can get my bike and I go very fast.”

“I had a little bit of experience of cycling, but not with this cycle, with the gear cycles and all. So I was a little skeptical. So this opportunity, this gives me the exact, the learning that I need to know. And today, I think the volunteers here, they’re really helpful and they support it all the way. And now I am feeling really, really happy.”

“I definitely think I have more faith in my ability to do stuff like this. It’s possible to learn something new at any time in your life. That courage is a good thing to have because you can do more things. And also they do have bike racks at my apartment and at the office I work at. So I think there’s some motivation there.”

“I think having access to a lot of places, parks, being able to go places that I wouldn’t be able to go with my car. Groceries and riding with family or friends. This has given me opportunity to go places that I wouldn’t be able to go with my car. Freedom, most definitely freedom.”

“I have all the equipment that I need. I just need to practice, make sure I get the hang of it and just learn to trust. I’m already planning on doing it, when I get to the point that I’m able to ride long distances instead of going to places that we go that are close to my house. Either you go by car or you go by bike, I’d rather go by bike!”

“It’s always been something I am embarrassed to tell people I didn’t know how to do and now I have a three-year-old who’s got a balance bike trying to learn. We like to adventure as a family and that includes national parks and hikes and things like that, and I think being able to bike just gives us more opportunity for different adventures. It won’t take much for me to start replacing car trips with a bike ride.”

“I always had a goal for learning how to ride because of the convenience; however, after attending the class, I realized this was a necessity and went beyond the convenience. I found a community, I became a BikeMN volunteer and most importantly I am spreading the word. I found a freedom to be outdoor more and to explore the wonderful parks in MN. For as long as I can volunteer, I want to give this gift to others.”

“My kids always have a bike I never own my own bike thanks for this program finally I own one now this summer really enjoy are family trips at the park thanks to all the persons who make this program possible.”

“I gained a great means of getting around town and valuable experience riding a bike in Minnesota. Thanks to bikeMN for such a good program.”

“Thanks to the program, I have the opportunity to save time on the road to work and back, to the store and back home, and make good use of my free time. Also, when I want to walk in the park, my bike helps me a lot, I ride it and breathe fresh air. Without a bike, I wouldn’t be able to spend so much time walking. While I don’t have a car, a bicycle helps me a lot. Thank you.”