Community Rides

Wilmington is not known for rolling hills or hiking expeditions, its relatively flat terrain makes it a wonderful place for a peaceful, easy bike ride, especially for kids. Learning to ride a bike is a rite of passage, and a relatively new concept has recently gone viral for many school-aged children around the country: the Bike Bus.

“Bike Bus is an adult-led scheduled bike ride that follows a specific route to and from school,” says KEVINA CASALETTO, a parent organizer for a Bike Bus that’s rolling for International School at Gregory families.

“The Bike Bus relies on the premise of safety in numbers, allowing students to feel comfortable riding their bikes to school. Bike Bus, founded by Coach Balto in Portland, Oregon, was created after he was inspired by the Bicibus movement in Spain and created a Bike Bus for Earth Day in 2022,” she says. “It’s been going ever since, and there are now more than 200 Bike Buses in the USA as well as hundreds more across dozens of countries.”

Casaletto is a mom to two students at Gregory, a dual language immersion public magnet school in downtown Wilmington.

She, along with other parents and community members, have worked tirelessly to create the grassroots Bike Bus for their school routes while also encouraging other families in the area to join in and form their own groups.

“A viral video in 2023 was what hooked me – seeing a big group of kids riding to school, singing at the top of their lungs and cheering each other on was incredibly moving,” Casaletto says. “I saw a Facebook post from a fellow Gregory parent asking if anyone was interested in starting one. It felt like destiny!”

Casaletto says they started organizing through a Facebook group to coordinate. They did practice route rides and made sure they had tools for bike tuneups or breakdowns.

“TAMMY SWANSON, from Terry Benjey Bicycling Foundation was so helpful with tips and safety rules/support in those early weeks,” Casaletto says. “We’ve overcome all kinds of issues: five flat tires – one parent just ran the route with his bike after a tire blowout – interesting car encounters, and several route tweaks, to name a few. Now, in our second year, we’re all well practiced at putting chains back on, checking air/breaks/chains, corking, crossing busy roads safely, and encouraging new riders.”

The Gregory parent organizers hold rides before and after school every Friday. On those mornings, they meet at Wallace Park to take off, and kids join in along the route until they get to the school – with the opposite direction for after-school rides.

They post routes and info about bonus rides or community park-to-park rides on their social media accounts such as @ gregorybikebus on Instagram.

“As a kindergarten family new to Gregory, this has been an awesome way to feel connected to the school community right from the start,” says KATELYN MAGINNES. “We joined Bike Bus for the first ride of the year – only our second day of school. 6:50 a.m. doesn’t feel so early when you’re headed to meet up with the Bike Bus and then riding with a fun crew to school.”

In addition to help from fellow parents, the school’s administration has been supportive of their group’s efforts.

“HILDA DE LEON, the principal, has been very supportive of opportunities to get kids outside and/or active over the years and has been a big cheerleader and supporter of the Bike Bus,” Casaletto says. “The PTA, principal, and staff at Gregory, as well as volunteers and parents, have helped with the success and growth of the bus. Principal de Leon even came to cheer us on at the start of one of our Bike Bus rides, which meant a lot to the kids.”

Besides Terry Benji Foundation members – and neighbors along the route – other supporters for equipment have included the Cape Fear Makers Guild donating air pressure gauges, Special Pedals for bike tubes, NCDOT for bike charms and helmets, WMPO for bike lights and bike charms and bells, Casaletto says, adding that the city’s parks and recreation department worked with the group to get a bike repair station installed at the Wallace Park starting point.

The Gregory Bike Bus is the only one of its kind in the Wilmington area so far, but the Gregory group hopes to change that.

“At the start, we checked the Bike Bus World map (online at Bikebus.world) to look for other Bike Buses nearby to reach out to or get tips about starting one in the southeast,” Casaletto says. “There was not a single one in North Carolina and only twelve in all of the Southeastern U.S. We registered our bus, made an email and Instagram, and have since connected with so many other buses around the country and world, community organizations, and all kinds of supporters” she says. “We are a downtown school with minimal to no bike infrastructure, and we feel like we’re a great example to others. If we can do it, so can you!”

She says they take inspiration from the Atlanta Bike Bus, which has eight Atlanta schools with established routes.

“We just started a Bike Bus NC hub (on Instagram @bikebusnc) where we can find and support other North Carolina buses as well as encourage and support new ones,” she says.

While the goal is to create a safe, healthy way for kids to get to school, the families who have participated have benefitted as well, Casaletto says.

“It’s hard to put into words the joy of Bike Bus,” she says. “The closest thing I can equate it to was pulling up to a friend’s house on my bike as a kid and seeing ten or so bikes scattered across their yard – that excited feeling you have of being connected and part of something.

“It feels like childhood in its purest form – like a ’90s summer. We have so many parents on our bus because it is the best way to start the day. The kids feel like celebrities as they get waves and cheers when they pass by, along with a few shocked stares. Our family now rides more than ever. This little action – a once-a-week, one-mile ride to school – has had such a huge impact on our lives.”

To view more of photographer Madeline Gray’s work, go to madelinegrayphoto.com.

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