CEO Ryan McFarland, Strider Balance Bike 12 Sport Founder, reflects on the success of the Strider bikes foundation
Ryan McFarland, a Rapid City entrepreneur and CEO/founder of Strider Bike, will be inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame in Chamberlain as part of the 2021 class on May 20th and 21st.
McFarland is being recognized by the South Dakota Hall of Fame as a “successful inventor” and has given back to the community through the Strider Rider Fund and All Kids Bike foundation.
Ryan McFarland had this to say about being inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame:
“You know, what an honor. There are a lot of people have done some big things to make this happen. It’s awards like this one that motivate me and our team to continue to reach kids and teach them to ride on 2 wheels.”
Strider started out like a Silicon Valley start-up, in the garage:
“You know Strider itself started really is just a little Saturday garage project. Just trying to teach my son how to ride didn’t really have intent on starting a company or any of the things that have followed but it’s been really quite a wild ride the last 15 years now.”
Strider and the All Kids Bike foundation is teaching kids how to ride bikes younger than ever before, and in really a simple process that takes away a lot of the fear or anxiety that a lot of kids feel about learning to ride.
Why is riding a bike a big deal:
“In our mission statement, it talks about competence. And I think that’s one of the big things even bigger than the skill of learning how to ride a bike is the confidence that comes with learning how to ride. We’ve heard from teachers all across the country that are running the All Kids Bike program that the biggest thing they see is the children once they have this breakthrough moment and realize that they can do this that confidence spills over even into the other aspects in school. They become more engaged in school overall.”
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