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Photo: SBMTV
Kids and parents riding bikes on trails, having fun, and learning about local natural resources! What more could you want?
This Saturday, Santa Barbara Mountain Trail Volunteers (SBMTV/sbmtv.org) will be hosting their 4th annual “kid bike” event as part of the National Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day. The event will begin at 11am and is being hosted by Elings Park (elingspark.org).
You’ll find the sign up area on the south side of the park. The entrance is on Cliff Drive, a quarter mile up towards the Mesa from Las Positas. Kids of all ages are welcome. No mountain biking experience is needed and any type of bike will work. However, every rider will need to bring a helmet — parents too!
Photo: elings park
Elings Park South map.
Experienced SBMTV bikers will be on hand to teach your son or daughter proper mountain biking techniques as well proper trail etiquette. Show up a half hour early (10:30am) and you’ll get a bike checkup as well.
With all of the controversy surrounding mountain biking on the front country trails, it is refreshing to see a group such as SBMTV working to make a difference. Over the past several years, hundreds of Santa Barbara area kids have gotten the opportunity to meet with the elders of the mountain bike tribe to learn how to ride safely and even more important, how to do so in a way that doesn’t interfere with other trail users safety or enjoyment.
Credit: SBMTV
After the 11AM signups end, the event will be kicked off with an easy kids ride around the Elings Park Trails. Along the route there will be interpretive stations with interesting talks on animals, outdoor sports, and proper trail etiquette. Drinks, snacks, and lunch will also be provided. After lunch, mountain biking skills instruction will be offered by SBMTV experts.
“We’re looking at helping each of the kids who attend feel comfortable riding on the dirt,” V-P of SBMTV Chris Orr explained, “and perhaps even more importantly we need to make sure everyone has a good time when they are out on our local trails and that means hikers, joggers and horse riders too.”
If you haven’t been to Elings Park South, now is the perfect opportunity to visit the area, share a ride out on the trails with your sons or daughters and have lots of fun.
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