Get Kids Riding !
Getting kids outside, away from screens and involved in fun adventures in God's creation couldn't be more important in today's world! Summer 2025 we'll be kicking off some new Bring-A-Kid rides at local KVSP and then in the fall we are hoping to launch a weekly mountain biking club where we can continue to introduce kids and parents to the joy of mountain biking! We live in an awesome area for riding with lots of parks that have marked and maintained single track trails, great rail-trail opportunities and even world-class downhill riding at Mountain Creek Bike Park.
If you're interested in learning more about our youth programs please check out the FAQ's below and also submit the survey below to get your name and information on a list for regular updates on our youth programming.
No events at the moment
Youth Rides
Level 1: Learn to Ride
Ages: all
Bike styles: Any bike including balance bikes and bikes with training wheels. Back pedal brakes are allowed.
Skill prerequisites: none
Duration of ride: 45 min. Parents required to participate in ride
Skills taught: safety, balance, braking, riding with others, turning, riding through small obstacles (small hills, potholes, bumps, etc)
Ride Notes:
The learn to ride events will be very flexible in structure and we require parents to participate in the ride with their children. Some kids may spend the entire ride in the parking lot in which case the parents don't necessarily need to have a bike with them. Depending on the size of group and skill level of the kids we may split the group to allow a portion of the group to ride a portion of the paved loop out to the airport runway.
Level 2: Beginner Single Track
Ages: 4-12
Bike styles: Mountain bikes, hand brakes strongly recommended
Skill prerequisites: no training wheels, kids must be able to ride confidently over small terrain variations and should be willing to at least attempt to ride up hills. Walking hills is OK, but we want kids to at least try to get to the top
Duration of ride: 1 hour, parents encouraged but not require to participate in the ride
Skills taught: safety, braking, riding with others, riding through obstacles, body position, feet position, proper shifting
Ride Notes: This ride will include introducing kids to more off-road terrain, rail trail riding and beginner single track. Kids need to have the stamina to ride continuously for 5-10 minutes between breaks
Level 3: Intermediate Single Track
Ages: 10+
Bike styles: Mountain bikes only with shifting and 24" or greater tire size, hand brakes required, front suspension recommended.
Skill prerequisites: Riders need to be able to confidently ride the white trail at KVSP. Walking your bike up some of the steep rocky sections is OK but riders should be willing to attempt to ride all segments as far as they can.
Duration of ride: 1 hour, parents encouraged but not require to participate in the ride
Skills taught: safety, braking, riding with others, riding through obstacles, body position, feet position, proper shifting.
Ride Notes: These rides tackle real single-track mountain biking with added stops along each ride to give riders tips and instruction based on their specific skill level.
Frequently Asked Questions
For each ride with kids, we make sure to include discipleship touchpoints during the course of the ride. First, we always start with a prayer before we ride. We thank God for providing His creation for us to enjoy and for giving us bodies that are strong and able to participate in a great sport like mountain biking. We also pray for safety for ourselves and other riders on the trail. We often include a planned 5-10 minute stop for a water break and brief devotional to get the kids and parents thinking about a gospel concept, idea, or questions. Lastly, we always keep our eyes out for opportunities for deeper conversation with kids, parents, or other riders who may ask questions about what we're doing. We know the God has prepared work for us to do and we pray that he opens our eyes to see the opportunities that he puts on our trails.
We welcome kids from 5 to 12 to join our general youth mountain bike rides! Kids need to have a few key skills:
1. They need to be able to ride confidently without training wheels
2. They need to be able to use their brakes and gear shifters properly
3. They need to be able to ride up and down small hills (walking hills is OK but kids need to be willing to try to get to the top)
We ask that parents do their best to equip their child with a proper mountain bike for our rides. We define this by the following criteria.
The bike is sized appropriately based on the child's height. We can help with this if you're not sure what size is best for your child.
The bike is in good mechanical condition. Shifters work, wheels spin freely and true (no wobble), brakes work when dry and wet.
We strongly recommend kids ride a bike with hand brakes and not back-pedal brakes. Back pedal brakes can be very dangerous for kids as they will often take their feet off the pedals when they get scare (thus losing all braking ability). Pedal brakes also have very little ability to modulate, they are either all on or all off, and lastly they make it difficult to keep good foot position over obstacles.
Every rider needs:
A proper mountain bike - see the requirements in another FAQ
A proper sized helmet, undamaged, with a working buckle
Closed toed shoes
A water bottle or hydration pack. If bringing a water bottle, the child needs to have a water bottle cage that is able to securely hold the water bottle over bumps and obstacles
Appropriate clothing
One of the most important factors to your child enjoying a ride is their comfort. If they are constantly having to push up a helmet that is falling over their eyes they are going to be uncomfortable and frustrated. Same goes for being too hot, too cold, thirsty, hungry, etc. While we certainly won't have perfect conditions at all times, and we'll work to build resilience in our kids, we always want to try to set ourselves up with as few unnecessary discomforts as possible.
We hope to offer monthly "teach your kids to ride" events where kids and parents come out for an afternoon with your 3-5 year old. For these rides, kids can come with properly sized bikes, balance bikes, with or without training wheels. They will still need well fitting helmets, water, etc but our ride will be right around the parking lot and rail trails at KVSP in Andover. Keep an eye out for these events on the calendar.
We do not have bikes available to rent but we do have a community of riders who may have properly sized bikes available for your child to borrow for one or two rides. There are some great options available for finding used bikes and we are happy to assist parents with selecting the best bike for their child
Accidents do happen sometimes and that's something we need to learn to respond to effectively and with great care. If you child takes a fall and gets a minor bump, bruise or scrape but is able to continue riding, we'll get them cleaned up and back on their bike to finish the ride. If your child is unable to continue riding for any reason (injury, broken bike, too scared, etc) we will call the parent (if they are not riding with us) and we'll bring the child to the nearest trailhead for them to be picked up. If you child is somehow seriously injured and cannot continue riding or get to the nearest trailhead we will the parents and call 911 and get first responders to your child as quickly as possible.