By John Roberts, BTCEB Director-at-Large
A new Facebook group called “Dirt Kids – Bay Area Parents/Kids MTB” had its inaugural Sunday group ride on 10/17/21. We met at the Oakland Pump Track at 9AM.
All nine kids that arrived rode with their parent/guardian. We had a riders’ meeting where Facebook page creator Morgan Segal gave intros. I too spoke about ride etiquette that included: staying to our right on the trail, and walking our bikes together when we crossed Skyline. The route had been laid out by Caron, another parent.
After discussing the trail route, I had the honor of leading the first 3/4 of the ride. We started by walking our bikes across Skyline Blvd to the Sequoia Bayview Trailhead. We then rode Sequoia Bayview to the top of Cinderella Trail. At the Horse Arena Gate area, we all again walked our bikes across Skyline Blvd to the MHA building / Redwood Bowl Staging parking lot. We stopped at the Redwood Bowl picnic tables, where some kids had snacks, and one parent performed mechanical repairs to a kickstand.
We then rode past the PAL Camp and again walked our bikes back across Skyline Blvd to the Redwood Glen Trailhead. We rode south on Big Trees Trail until the Roberts Park spur. There, the kids dismounted and walked around the fairy circles and trees. This gave them time to play, chat, and bond together. The parents socialized too. At that point, all trail users I had encountered was with a smile, as I would announce: “We have a child train coming”. For the final ride segment I yielded the lead to another parent, Elaine, who led a contingent that included beaming young girls.
The ride ended back at the Sequoia Bayview Trailhead. I was later told two kids had tip overs or falls on the final segment of the ride, on the Big Trees Trail. Interestingly, one was the son of the lead parent, Morgan S., and the other was my son, Emilio. You would not know this had happened though. For example, when everyone else left, our two kids rode the pump track together for another 20 minutes and then played on foot together around the pump track area for another 30 minutes, much of the time laughing or exploring, and having a great time.
Some parents made the comment that riding as a group helped their kids have the best ride day ever. I agree. In addition, all encounters with other trails users I experienced were positive, and many said nice and encouraging words when they saw the young riders.
