The Revolutions Mountain Bike Club, a team of middle school and high school students from Morris County – is hosting a “Try-It-Out Ride” ride this week.
The Nov. 25 event, where prospective mountain bikers get to ride some trails, learn some skills, meet kids on the team and their coaches, will take place at Stephens State Park, an area containing a myriad of trails built and maintained by mountain bikers.
Those interested in the free event should show up at 3 Kinney Road off of Waterloo Road in Mount Olive at 9:30 a.m. The Try-It-Out Ride is expected to end at 11 a.m.
Randolph resident Jeremy Klopper, who oversees the club and is a coach, said the team is always looking for recruits. “We’re going into our eighth year,” he said. “Our goal is just to bring mountain biking to kids who may not necessarily have exposure to it.”
The team’s pre-season training started Oct. 15, and the race season begins Dec. 1. However, riders in the club do not have to race.
“The Revolutions’ main goal is getting more kids riding bikes and to sharing the thrill of mountain biking,” notes the team’s website. “Racing is awesome, but winning races is not what it is all about.”
Most of the Revolutions’ practices take place at Lewis Morris Park County Park in Mendham or Dickerson Mine Preserve in Mine Hill.
“We ride throughout the whole winter, for the most part, as long as it’s safe and fun for the kids,” said Klopper, 52. “Very often, the snow is packed or melts reasonably quickly. We ride down to pretty cold temperatures, sometimes in the teens.”
Participants will need a decent mountain bike, one with full- or front-suspension and wheels of at least 26 inches in diameter, he said. “We don’t have any hard requirements,” Klopper said. “We also have, as a team, loaner bikes for short-term use by kids.”
The team, part of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) is also looking for some more adult coaches. It provides training to those who volunteer.
For more information on the upcoming Try-It-Out Ride click here. The team email address is info@revolutionsmtb.com