As they spin around and through, the children’s faces lit up with enthusiasm and glee, grew focused and intense as they focused on riding the line, or just focused on riding.  It was a non-stop whirlwind of children playing through our home-made skills park, loving every minute of it.  Some fell down, all got back up.  Some rode fast, and others slow.  None needed encouragement.  They saw the teeter totters, the new bunny hop obstacle, and the 2×4 skills boxes, and just rode.  Over, and over, and over again.

Once again, SF Urban Riders brought a mountain bike skills course to the most important cycling demographic in existence today.  They perhaps are not the biggest group in terms of dollars spent or policies made, but certainly in terms of our future: The children.

With more space than we previously had available, a baseball diamond track was used as our backdrop, and inbetween the bases, we set up the skills course.  Many mothers fathers, and children were returnees from our first foray at the Excelsior festival, many were just passing by, and overall, we had more than 100 sign-ins, mostly youth that enjoyed our set up.

Truly this is the type of entertainment and physical activity that our children don’t get enough of.  This was more than evident as many children stayed on, pedaling non stop around the course for 1-2 hours.  It amazes me how children just know how to have fun on these courses.  Very few needed, or wanted, any coaching, and if they weren’t riding, would just watch the other children ride before they followed to imitate.

In a land that is filling up with strip malls, paved highways, and housing developments,  don’t you think it is time we created some fine opportunities for ourselves and our children in our parks?  Thanks for reading, and stay tuned to this website to find out how you can help, as SF Urban Riders moves forward through 2008, and into 2009, working hard to bring the children, both young and old, off road cycling recreation, within our fine City.

Check out the video!