Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day: hosted by SORBA Tri-Cities.

The Southern Off-Road Bicycling Association hosted Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day, Saturday at the Mountain Bike Park at Winged Deer.

“It has been great,” said SORBA Chapter President Jerry Greer. “ We’ve had about 60 to 70 kids come out and ride.”

Bikes and bike racks adorned nearly every car in the parking lot at the Mountain Bike Park at Winged Deer Saturday for Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day. Photograph by W. Kenneth Medley II

The event took place in the parking lot of the Winged Deer Park Disc Golf course, which is shared with the Mountain Bike Trailheads. There was a small ramp course set up in the grass for kids to try out before heading to the approximate 1-mile single-track trail.

“The trail we have here is about ½ mile to 1 mile long,” said SORBA club member Marc Upton. “When we get done building there will be about 5 miles of trail here.”

Local vendors were on hand with some demo bikes. The Bike Shop of Johnson City made a large presence with their Specialized brand bikes. There was even free pizza, drinks and popsicles provided during lunch by the SORBA chapter for everybody.

Science Hill High School Mountain Bike Team Head Coach was on hand, as well as Noah Naseri. The coaches want to help bring more mountain biking to the region and see it as a way to help the community and local economy.

Northeast Tennessee Cycling Team Head Coach Noah Naseri was on the grounds at Winged Deer Park for Take A Kid Mountain Biking Day. Naseri just returned from a cross-country bicycling trip to raise money for his team. Photo by W. Kenneth Medley II

Naseri just recently returned from a trip where he biked across the country to raise money for the Northeast Tennessee Cycling Team. This is a new mountain bike team, of which he is the head coach, that is a hybrid styled team from multiple schools.

The goal of Saturday’s event was to get kids and their parents outside riding together. SORBA club members were available to take some kids on the trail if their parents didn’t have a bike too.

John Snyder was one such club member. He took 6-year-old Urijah Kim on his very first single-track ride.

Urijah Kim enjoys his bike at the SORBA Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day event. Six-year-old Kim rode his first single-track trail at the event. Photograph by W. Kenneth Medley II

“He really surprised me,” Snyder said about Kim. “Some things that I thought he would take it easy on he rolled right through. He took a couple falls and scraped his elbow. But he hopped right back on his bike and kept going.”

Many parents and kids hit the single-track trail together to see the progress the club is making. As well as, to see what new mountain biking trails and opportunities that are becoming available in the Johnson City area.

The trail system that the club is working on is part of a mountain bike trail expansion that was approved by the city 2 years ago. The expansion includes $15 million to renovate existing facilities and build new ones at Winged Deer Park.

The mountain bike trails are being built by the local SORBA/IMBA chapter and will be maintained by them in the future. The members currently maintain trails all throughout Northeast Tennessee and host different events throughout the region.

SORBA Tri-Cities hosting Take a Kid Moutain Biking Day at Winged Deer Park in Johnson City, Tennessee. Photograph by W. Kenneth Medley

The SORBA volunteers were back out at Winged Deer Park on Sunday building new trails. The club was hosting a volunteer workday where the saying is, “build, ride, repeat.”

The SORBA Club also hosts a monthly ride where participants ride from Atlantic Ale House in downtown Johnson City, to the ETSU Trail System, and back. It is an opportunity for club members to gather and share camaraderie.

As for the Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day, 6-year-old Urijah Kim said, “Good!” The trails at Winged Deer Park, “Good!”