Take A Kid Mountain Biking

Tomorrow will be a little bit different in my world of mountain biking. We’ll be putting on an event here in the Charlotte area that celebrates the annual International Mountain Bicycling Association's (IMBA) Take A Kid Mountain Biking Day. Here’s a little info from the IMBA website:


IMBA's International Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day celebrates the life of Jack Doub, an avid teenage mountain biker from North Carolina who had a true passion for the sport from an early age but passed away in 2002. Funding is provided by the Jack Doub Memorial Endowment. The event will take place each year on the first Saturday in October.


Our local event will be pretty much the same as last year, but hopefully a lot bigger. Our local club, the Tarheel Trailblazers, have teamed up with the Dirt Divas, REI, and Trip For Kids Charlotte to put on a successful event. Here are the details of our particular event:


IMBA's International Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day


IMBA will celebrate its sixth annual International Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day on Saturday, October 2, 2010. This is a great opportunity for you to "share your love of cycling with someone smaller than you." Talk to your neighbors, co- workers, relatives and friends and bring their kids on a ride.

Trips for Kids Charlotte, the Trailblazers, the Dirt Divas, and REI are planning a great local event, including clinics and a lunch cookout.

When: Saturday Oct. 2nd, 8:30 Registration, 9:00 Ride, Noon Cookout

Where: Colonel Francis Beatty Park (meet in tennis court parking lot), 4330 Weddington Rd, Matthews, NC 28105

All riders must wear helmets, sign a waiver at registration and all kids under sixteen must be accompanied by an adult.



This event is much more than our usual Tarheel Trailblazers Kids Rides. The turnout will be much greater, with mountain bikers from all over our community in attendance. Little Miss Sunshine, Lunchbox, and I will be leading some of the rides along with other members of our local cycling community. We’ll enjoy some good food and socializing after the event as well. If you’re local to the Charlotte area, then come on out and join us (and bring along some youngins for fun on the bike.) If you don’t live anywhere near here, check your local mountain bike club to see if they are putting on an event, or go to the IMBA website and find an event near you. The kids are the future of our sport (we ain’t getting’ any younger), so do your part and introduce someone smaller than you to this great sport.


I’ll be back on Monday with an event report, possibly a new tire, and probably some more Tree Shaker talk. In the meantime, get out and ride, and take some kids with you.