Trail Kids Beginner Mountain Bike Clinics

The Beginner Mountain Bike Clinics are part of the Loppet Foundation’s Trail Kids year-round programming. 

These clinics are designed for youth ages 7-13 who have no experience riding single track trails (for programming for 13 and older, check out LCW Juniors programs). If you are new to the Trail Kids program, these clinics are highly suggested before taking one of the six-week evening sessions. Mountain bike clinics will be held on open grassy areas with some single track riding. During clinic practices, participants will be coached by trained Loppet Trail Kids coaches on a variety of mountain bike skills, so they can become safe and confident riders. Fundamental skills include:

• Ready/neutral position for descending hills
• Side/Side bike body separation
• Pedaling/shifting efficiently
• Controlling speed and braking safely
• Cornering confidently
• Handling obstacles and rocky terrain
• Riding with vision
• Ratcheting

For a full description of our mountain bike skill level progression, view the Trail Kids MTB Skill Level Guide.

Ages: Ages 7–13, no experience or beginners are welcome; we split into different coaching groups based on ability, fitness, and age (for programming for 13 and older, check out LCW Juniors programs). We do not have programs for kids 6 years of age and under, so please do not register them until they turn seven years old.

Equipment/Bike Rental

Equipment Needed: All participants will need their own mountain bike, helmet, and water carrier. Bikes need to have both front and back wheel brakes on the handle bars (no peddle brakes or kickstands allowed). Tires must have tread and be wide enough to ride safely on mountain bike trails. For more on mountain bike equipment, view the Trail Kids MTB Equipment Guide.

Loppet Bike Rentals: Trail Kids has a limited mountain bike rental fleet for those who do not have one for an additional fee of $30. If you need to rent a bike, make sure to select this add-on when you register (as supplies last).

Friend Requests: For safety and equity reasons, Trail Kids does not offer friend requests as part of registration. The mass quantity of friend requests made it impossible to accommodate them all and greatly impacted safety and group dynamics. We would love to allow everyone to practice with their friends, but if we cannot accommodate all friend requests, we cannot offer them to everyone. We encourage riders to embrace the opportunity to form new friendships through our programs!