SAN ANTONIO — Abel Nunez loves cruising all over San Antonio on his bicycle. It’s a bike he built from scratch through Earn-a-bike. 

Earn-a-bike is a co-op focusing on nutrition, healthy living and physical activity. The kids are experts on screens, phones, laptops and tablets — but some never learned to ride a bike. Most wouldn’t even know where to start if they had to maintain one.

“They teached us how to patch a tire with a hole in it and I have one of the kits at home in my drawer,” Abel said. Now, Abel is basically a 10-year-old bike aficionado. 

Earn-a-bike employee Lily Teran says the skills are learned through a free 10-week program at the YMCA.  

She makes sure they know how to build the bike before they go for a ride. “It’s one thing to tell them what to do, but it’s another thing to show them. For them on their own to get excited about wanting to do psychical activity and wanting to be out in the community,” Teran said. 

Teran says they focus on areas with high diabetes rates. 

On top of the physical improvements, an October study published by Loma Linda University Health in California showed cycling programs improved the mental health of school-aged children. 

“We certainly do what we can in order to get this information out not only for the kid but also to the parent to make them aware of where they can seek resources,” Teran said. 

Safety is an important part of this course. According to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, young cyclist make up one-third of emergency department visits, but Teran hopes this education can keep children like Abel safe and healthy while on the roads.

“It feels good because I feel like I’m better than the average person on a bike,” Abel said.