Ironman commentator launches program to keep kids on bikes 'Wheelie Safe'

Pete Murray, whose voice many will be hearing on the mic come Sunday May 5, is launching his bike safety education program 'Wheelie Safe Kids' this week.

"I just feel there is a need for children just to be active and at the same time they've got to get out there and be safe," he said.

"The roads are getting so much more busier."

Wheelie Safe Kids is an educational program that educates students from kindergarten up to Year 8 with cycling skills and knowledge to make them less vulnerable road users.

Mr Murray travels into schools to present a 40-45 minutes safety talk promoting figures around road and bike safety and skills that promote the importance of correct safety procedure.

The program also has a hands-on aspect with each student getting their own helmet personally fitted before going through a bike safety course that promotes 10 skills discussed in the talk.

"It's not just about kids just sitting there," Mr Murray said.

"They're actually on the bike for an hour at a time and they're interacting...

"So it's a very hands on interactive experience."

Mr Murray first started trialling the program in local Port Macquarie schools prior to COVID-19 but when the pandemic hit, it was harder to reach out to schools.

It's why he's now launching the program this week at Town Green at 12pm on Friday, May 3.

"Already the response has been tremendous," he said.

"We've got 48 schools that have shown an interest in the program and that's totalling up around 12,000 children.

"We understand we're not going to get that full capacity but if we do half of that so 5,000 to 6,000 students in the first year or so, that's certainly where we want to be."

Mr Murray said that a lot of councils are building bike paths and shared pathways with new divisions, with the promotion of bike safety being done by both community groups and councils.

"It's good to just reinforce those skills so kids can actually access the areas that councils are providing," he said.

As an Ironman commentator for the past 20 years, Mr Murray travels a lot for his job but it's his travel that has allowed him to sign up schools from Sydney, Newcastle and even Broome to the program.

"We are very much already going national," he said.

"This is only the start.

"Potentially, its going to be absolutely huge."

Mr Murray's 18 years experience as a primary school teacher has also helped him with the program.

He said his time as a teacher has made him see the need for a program like this.

"A lot of facts show that every household in Australia has at least one bike," he said.

"Nowadays [kids] are riding on shared pathways... but they do need to be part of the road environment.

"So I think that safety is of the utmost importance for children to learn how to ride bikes confidently but also to ride bikes safely."