The Rides Program takes children on rides every Saturday and some weekdays.  Our volunteers lead bike trips for groups of up ten youths drawn from the many community organizations from the Pueblo Area. Rides will take place on off-road trails throughout the Pueblo area, and are designed as lessons in self-exploration and environmental awareness. Ride participants learn biking skills, safety and trail etiquette.  We stress the importance of one’s own actions both on and off the trail.

These rides can be challenging, and it’s not unusual to see kids learning teamwork by helping each other up a steep hill or over rough terrain.  Through these accomplishments they gain greater self-esteem and a larger sense of themselves as members of a community and the environment.  In fact, environmental education is one of our central themes.  We expose these young people to environmental issues and illustrate that life in non-urban and urban settings is connected.  Each lesson they learn on these rides applies to their everyday lives.

The Rides Program provides mentored mountain biking experiences for approximately 5-10 children on all year (weather permitting) in Pueblo area parks. Groups interested in participating can email the ride coordinator at glenn@tfksoutherncolorado.org.  Volunteers from the sponsoring agency are asked to provide mentoring while on the ride. Experienced cyclists, often from area bicycle clubs, provide volunteer leadership for this program.

Through our supporting sponsor, Pedal Paradise, Inc. (PPI), a recycling retail venture, we hope to provide youth with training by refurbishing and selling used bicycles, accessories, parts and services. PPI works closely with local organizations that request bikes for their clients such as Posada, Community Soup Kitchen, Crossroads Managed Care Systems, State of Colorado Division of Adult Parole Community Corrections and YOS Community Re-Entry, Friendly Harbor, Wayside Cross Mission, and School District 60. These recycled bikes provide safe, environmentally friendly and affordable transportation for both children and adults. 

The Earn A Bike Program which we hope to begin in the Fall of 2008 offers youth a chance to earn their own bike by completing a series of hands-on lessons in basic bike mechanics and bike safety, which also focus on personal responsibility, achievement and self-empowerment. This program is available to individuals or groups from TFKSC’s target populations. The organizations that bring children to the Ride Program have traditionally been the same organizations that send children to other Earn A Bike Programs.  TFKSC hopes to open this program to adults and youth referred from area social service agencies who need transportation options to access employment, school etc.

Keeping bicycles out of landfills and extending their use in the community are environmental and health benefits that are part of the goals of Trips for Kids Southern Colorado and PPI.

A Bridge to a Year-Round Program

Trips for Kids Southern Colorado plans to build a year round program with a core group of children called the “Jr. Ride Leaders.” The goal of this program is to identify children who are passionate about cycling and give them an opportunity to develop their cycling skills and knowledge on a regular basis. The Jr. Ride Leader program will have four goals:

• Teach basic bicycle maintenance and advanced riding skills.
• Provide opportunities to develop and demonstrate leadership and teamwork skills.
• Give children the opportunity to exercise regularly (2-3 times per week).
• Develop a long term mentoring relationship with the children that supports their academic, social, and physical development.

Ideally, the program will run twice during the week throughout the school year and be located on-site at a partner middle school or community center. The target date for beginning this program is Fall 2008.

Another planned program, Girls in Action will give girls (ages 10-17) the opportunity to engage in basic bicycle mechanics, bicycle outings, arts and crafts and discussions on girls' issues. It's a good time for any girl who likes bikes and wants some positive time with a cool group of girls. The group is also invited to all of the Saturday morning youth bike rides, and does some of its own girls-only Saturday outings.

Without trails, where would we ride? As an extension of our education program, Trips for Kids Southern Colorado will work to build a core group of students and adult volunteers to participate in new trail construction and trail maintenance as part of their riding program. They are taught both bike safety and trail construction safety. Participation in maintenance programs combined with improved biking skills allows the kids to gain greater responsibilities and advance to more technical trails.

The addition of trail maintenance to the program is intended to instill in the kids a greater sense of responsibility and confidence, not only for cycling purposes, but for their futures as young adults. Many of these kids have started down the wrong path and are in need of some guidance and roll models.

The Trail Building Team's mission is not only to create trails and preserve open space, but to encourage the participation of neighborhoods, schools, and the business community in trail use and stewardship. Accordingly, we hope to institute an Education Program as part of our community outreach effort. We want to create a curriculum guide and host summer workshops for local teachers and youth agencies in the area.

As an active member of the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA), we have unique opportunities to invite trail professionals into our area for training, advice and some cool rides!