The Saratoga Springs City School District (SSCSD) is proud to be the first district in the country to offer a K–12 biking program. This program integrates biking into physical education at every level, giving every student the opportunity to develop the lifelong skill of riding a bike.
The K–12 biking program is made possible through a partnership with Shredders MTB, a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to empower kids by getting them on bikes. Since 2023, in collaboration with the Shredders, SSCSD has introduced biking across all six elementary schools using balance bikes with pedal conversion kits, allowing young students to learn balance first and then progress to a pedal bike. Maple Avenue Middle School added mountain bikes in 2024 with support from the Shredders, and this fall, the addition of a full fleet of mountain bikes at Saratoga Springs High School completes the districtwide program.
“It is nothing short of amazing that this K–12 initiative to get all SSCSD kids on bikes got funded and rolled out in three years,” said Kelsey Allen, Physical Education Department Head. “This could not have been done without the vision, passion, and dedication of Anna Laloë and the rest of the Shredders organization. Anna went to Coach Ricupero at Greenfield Elementary in the fall of 2022 with a vision and a plan. Only three years later, that vision is now a reality! The positive impact this programming will have on our students, school, and community is infinite. Our physical education teachers are dedicated to running this program and making sure all kids, K–12, have the skills, knowledge, and confidence to ride bikes for the rest of their lives.”
“We are so grateful for the incredible collaboration with the Saratoga Springs City School District over the last three years,” said Anna Laloë, Executive Director of Shredders MTB, “Thanks to the generosity of our local individual and foundation donors, Shredders MTB raised over $100,000 to provide more than 250 bikes, helmets, curriculum, and teacher training to the district. In September, we made history as the first district in the nation to bring biking into the physical education curriculum from kindergarten through 12th grade. It’s an exciting milestone for Saratoga and a powerful example of what can happen when a community comes together to remove barriers and create opportunities for all kids.”
The district celebrated the program’s completion with a High School Mountain Bike Roll-Out Celebration on September 26, where students, teachers, and representatives from the Shredders MTB showcased the new high school bikes and shared their excitement for the initiative.