P.E. Teachers and Cycling Club Bring Mountain Biking to Lander Youth

The growing network of mountain bike trails around Lander, Wyoming, provides backyard adventuring opportunities for locals and attracts visitors from around the country. Yet many local youth lack the skills, knowledge, or equipment to safely access the trails on their own. Three P.E. teachers from Lander Middle School saw that as a missed opportunity. So they teamed up with the Lander Cycling Club to secure a fleet of bikes for the school and to integrate a biking education program into their P.E. curriculum. With funding from LOR, the group was able to purchase high-quality mountain bikes from Lander’s two bike shops. LOR also covered costs for maintenance and upkeep. Then, after some hands-on training from local experts, the teachers were ready to offer spring and fall mountain biking modules to their sixth, seventh, and eighth graders. The school is also piloting a mountain bike “lending library,” allowing students to check out bikes and biking equipment for personal use.