Miles and Miles of Kid Smiles

Not drizzle, not clouds, not gloomy weather could stop forty or so eager kids from strapping on their helmets and throwing a leg over their mountain bikes for some great dirt riding fun last Saturday, May 16th. Overland Mountain Bike Club's first Take-A-Kid Mountain Biking Day, the Spring Event, turned out to be a great success.

Kids, parents, and volunteers alike headed into the Pineridge Natural Area from the Maxwell Natural Area parking lot with smiles on their faces and rode a mixture of double-track and singletrack. Some, who upon return to the parking lot, hadn't gotten enough time on their bikes, eagerly headed up the Maxwell trail for a little bit longer ride before the pizzas showed up.

Of course I'm biased here, having a couple of kids who took part in the event, but there's nothing better than seeing eager kids look at a rocky downhill section of trail and just let it fly. How great it is for them to look down that trail, at the turns, at the rocks, at the uphills, at the downhills and make it through it all and return to the parking lot with a sense of accomplishment.

A quote from one parent regarding the day, "I just wanted to say thank you for everything that you did to put together the Spring Take A Kid Mtn Biking day today. My children, as well as myself, enjoyed it immensely. We have only been in Fort Collins for about a year so this was such a fun way to find a new great trail and make some new friends. My daughter made best buddies with a little girl in her group and even got invited to her birthday party. What a wonderful community this is. And that's a lot in part because of people like you. Thanks so much.

And that pretty much sums it up. Many thanks to all our volunteers, Team BOB for lending support, Lee's Bike Shop for offering mechanical support, the City of Fort Collins Natural Areas Programs for being such gracious hosts, REI, Full Cycle Bikes, Recycled Cycles, and Performance Bike for goodies for the kids, Domino's Pizza, and Tweek'd Gear for the awesome t-shirts.

Oh, and some photos from the day are posted HERE. Open the Gallery called 'Events on the Trail'. More photos will follow....