Kids pedal the pines

Kids on bikes turned out in force Saturday morning, with nearly 100 participating in an event called Kids Pedal the Pines Day at Cloquet’s Pine Valley recreation area.

There were bikers of all ages.

“We were pleasantly surprised,” said Allison Jerde, secretary of the The Cloquet Singletrackers, a bike club advocating for trail use in Cloquet. “There were some really tiny kids on their strider bikes, using their feet to push, all the way up to teenagers,” she said.

Singletrackers collaborated with the Cloquet/Esko/Carlton mountain bike club team to plan the day, which included everything from crafts (helmet decorating in the chalet) to small bike courses in the more open areas to group rides on the 5 miles of trails through the woodland park.

Organizers set up three courses marked with yellow tape for beginners, intermediate and more advanced. CEC team members coached kids how to get through the courses, along with how to smartly navigate safely. The Carlton Bike Shop sent staff to do repairs and safety checks, and various bike shops donated prizes.

“This was really to introduce kids of all ages to the trails,” Jerde said. “It was a great day and I definitely think we’ll do it again next year.”

Find out more about Singletrackers by searching pineknotnews.com for a past story on the new club or look for the group’s Facebook page.