By: Jen Russon

Learning how to ride a bike requires coordination and mastery of both fine and gross motor skills. Some grow into adulthood and never learn to ride.

Ask Learn Go can enlighten students of any age and learning capacity. The company is made up of a group of teachers and therapists with decades of experience in helping children excel in school and partners with large organizations to bring fun and exciting educational resources to communities.

The company’s director, Alex Minevich, OTR/L said that bike lessons are a way for people to meet him and his team, and learn about what they can offer kids. He is eager to welcome all ages and types of students to use Ask Learn Go for free lessons.

If someone is struggling to learn how to ride a bike, teachers and therapists can not only help that person overcome the challenge, but diagnose and work toward fixing other problems while they’re at it.

“Sometimes, it’s an issue that is easy for an occupational therapist to correct – and instead of intensive therapy, all the student needs is a tune-up. Why should a parent have to wait for a solution when there’s an expert on hand to fix it now?” asked Minevich.

He added that the expense can be submitted to the parents’ insurance company for reimbursement or go toward the deductible.

Minevich also states that, while Ask Learn Go is not a bicycle company, they have a 75 percent success rate teaching children and adults to ride a bike within the first two lessons. The lessons are so effective that he partnered with the Florida Department of Transportation to teach bike safety throughout the state.

One satisfied customer said that his son learned to ride a bike in just two sessions.

“The first lesson was balance; the second lesson was learning how to use his feet and pedals, and keep his balance,” said the proud dad, who added, ironically, that teachers make better teachers than parents

Other students report mastery of biking within 15 minutes of receiving Ask Learn Go guidance, and many decide to continue working with a team therapist after meeting them at the bike lesson – for help with some area of therapy that the teacher specializes in. 

Minevich said that the company is growing at quite a clip. He is currently planning events to help picky eaters, and has invented a free handwriting evaluation that can help students who struggle to write legibly.

Ask Learn Go is an excellent networking tool for clinicians and therapists who sign up to teach at events. They are able to network this way, and build their practices through word of mouth. The first 15 minutes with one of the experts are free; to see pricing on packages offered by Ask Learn Go, click here. Potential clients can also find mobile app help via Facetime and Skype that is completely free.

“I encourage people who might be teaching a kid to ride a bike to use us when they go to the park,” said Minevich.

If clients choose a group lesson, the cost includes a helmet fitting. Students need only bring themselves to lessons which begin in the store, and progress into a section of the parking lot that has been cordoned off.

Minevich and his team provide the bike, which, after working with the student, is customized for an ideal fit.

Parents are encouraged but not pressured to purchase the bikes.

“Sure, a bike ordered off Amazon might be cheaper, but they don’t offer lessons to go with it,” he said.

Minevich switched from a doctorate program in child clinical psychology to occupational therapy (OT) where he has almost twenty years of experience. He also enjoys a full-time career with the Broward County School Board.

He said that helping students all over the county reminds him of his purpose, and why he created Ask Learn Go: to take the paperwork and bureaucracy out of healthcare and focus on what practitioners are best at: helping patients. 

He added that in offering bike lessons, it’s a win-win for retailers too.

“Walmart saw an increase of bicycle sales of almost 50 percent when we held one of our Ask Learn Go events there,” said Minevich.

He knows December is a peak time for bicycle sales because of Christmas, and believes his upcoming bike lesson in Coral Springs will help parents feel more confident about giving the gift of a two-wheeler. 

If you have friends outside of Broward and think they could benefit from a program like it, mention that Ask Learn Go is bringing its bike lessons to Walmart stores statewide. Be sure to check their website for dates and locations.

The next Ask Go Learn bike lesson in Coral Springs will be held at the Walmart Super-Store on December 8, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The store is located at 6001 Coral Ridge Drive. Reserve your spot, or visit AskLearnGo.com for resources and instructional videos about bike riding.