BOULDER, CO (BRAIN)—It’s the first Saturday of October this weekend, and that can mean just one thing: Thousands of young cyclists will be hitting the trails for IMBA’s annual Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day.
Some 20,000 kids turned out for last year’s event, and the goal is to increase that count to 30,000 for the eighth edition this weekend, according to IMBA communications director Mark Eller.
About 300 separate events nationwide are planned, ranging from “a couple families getting together to big clubs with hundreds of riders,” Eller said. International events are also set for Mexico, Italy, South Africa, Malaysia and Australia.
Participating suppliers include Specialized, Clif Kid, Trek and Shimano. Event partners include Outdoors Alliance for Kids, Children & Nature Network, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management, and the National Park Service.
“One of the thing we’re really excited about this year is that we have five rides shaping up in national parks: Golden Gate National Park, Delaware Water Gap National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Mammoth Caves National Park and Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area,” Eller said.
For more information on Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day, including how to find an event near you, click on the link above.
—Toby Hill
thill@bicycleretailer.com