Page 27 - North State Parent July 2020

Family Biking in the North State
Biking in Butte County
John Pearson of Chico Velo (chicovelo.org) de- scribes the North State as having “amazing access to so many different styles and varieties of riding, including world-class mountain biking and adventure riding in Oroville, Paradise, and Upper Bidwell Park, all accessi- ble from your front porch, rather than needing to load up and drive somewhere to bike.”
Chico Velo offers a wealth of resources to cyclists and orchestrates biking events like the annual Chico Wild- flower Century Ride. These events serve a secondary pur- pose of increasing drivers’ awareness of sharing the roads with bikes, improving bike safety as long as both cyclists and drivers follow road rules and respect each other.
John encourages families to engage their kids in biking at a young age, saying, “It’s been shown that the younger you start riding a bike, the higher probability you’ll opt to commute on your bike and choose a bike rather than a car later in life.”
Just how young can kids start biking? Sarah Raby, a Chico mom, says, “When Zach and I found out we were expecting, the first thing we bought was a bike trailer to tow around our new baby.” Today, the couple regularly enjoys biking with their four children. Fifteen- year-old Thomas loves mountain biking along Middle Trail with his dad. He remembers refusing to ride North Rim for two years after an especially rough ride but spending quality time with his dad on other trails re- built his confidence and perseverance. Benjamin, age eight, loves racing at Wildwood Park, and says the BMX track “is really fun because there are big jumps!” Even four-year-old Jonathan eagerly cruises around the fam- ily’s cul-de-sac with his siblings or joins longer family
rides on a trailer bike. Eliana, age 13, enjoys mountain biking and tandem biking with her dad, and has also discovered a trick for biking on hot summer days, “We just ride to the creek and go swimming!”
As COVID-19 has prompted an unprecedented surge of interest in biking, John speaks for the cycling world as he encourages families to continue to bike even after the pandemic. “Ride as much as possible,” he says, “even if it’s just getting the family out to ride around the block. It’s just about getting comfortable and confident.”
Biking in Siskiyou County
Megan Peterson, who works at Discover Siskiyou (discoverskiskyou.com), loves taking her sons Soren, age six, and four-year-old Theo on biking adventures. They ride in the hills above their home and along the Gateway Trail System, an easy-access network of trails just outside of Mt. Shasta, CA. The boys always wel- come this diversion, and as Megan explains, “Siskiyou County is awesome for biking because we have just 44,000 people, but are the fifth-largest county in Cal- ifornia.” This means more room for social distancing, whether street biking or mountain biking.
“Our county is also one of the most ecologically diverse places in the world,” Megan says. “From high-desert terrain and challenging mountain
climbs with waterfalls and lakes, to forest-
ed backroads, to charming little towns, to valley floor rides—you can choose your own adventure!”
For those who need a little help choosing their adventure or a little help with the required logistics, 26
In response to the growing popularity of mountain biking, Mt. Shasta has just under- taken Gateway Phase II, a project to build 44 miles of new mountain biking trails close
to town! While you wait for these trails to open, check out these other Siskiyou County resources:
• For a fun overnight destination at the end of
a family bike ride, visit Railroad Park Resort
(rrpark.com).
• For a kid-friendly bike route around a sum-
mer splash zone, visit Lake Siskiyou Resort
(lakesiskiyouresort.com).
• For bike-accessible nature adventures
the whole family will enjoy, see this list at discoversiskiyou.com/2018/08/10/ top-spots-discover-siskiyou-kids.
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Afternoon ride on the Gateway Trails in Mt. Shasta. Photo Credit: Discover Siskiyou