BRISTOL — It’s been about three seasons since the 5Town Riders youth mountain biking club got off to the races, and those involved in the program have had a lot to celebrate since then.
Since launching in 2021 the county-wide cycling group has welcomed over three dozen local riders and seen its racers attain personal achievements on trails around the state.
As the group continues to grow, organizers are working to ensure the program stays accessible and engaging to riders of all ages. Their efforts have so far been bolstered by successful fundraising and a dedicated team of parent volunteers.
“That (team of parents) has been pretty important, to allow us with the growth of kids to do rides and do that safely,” said Mike Steele, a parent coach for 5Town Riders. “Luckily, as the number of participants has grown, the number of parents helping out has also grown.”
The 5Town Riders program is organized by the Bristol Recreation Department and open to Addison County kids in grades 5-12. Bristol Recreation Director Meridith McFarland, also a certified mountain bike coach, leads the club with the help of parent coaches and volunteers.
5-Town Riders offers skills training and trail rides for participants from June through October. Riders can also choose to register for Vermont Youth Cycling (VTYC) and take part in races around the state during the summer and fall. Both programs have a registration fee, with scholarships available.
“We do two programs: the club and the team,” McFarland explained. “All of the kiddos can sign up for the club, and if they want to race, they can sign up for VTYC.”
This year VTYC will host a spring scrimmage and five races from July through October.
CLUB GROWTH
5Town Riders currently has around 27 kids on its racing team. In its inaugural year the team placed third out of 17 teams, and in years since, the club has seen several riders reach the podium and achieve personal bests.
The mountain biking club will officially kick off its season on June 19, with weekly Wednesday practices continuing through the fall.
During the season, 5Town Riders learn various skills and take part in trail rides, often at nearby New Leaf Organics farm on the Monkton-Bristol town line. Riders and parent volunteers also travel to other trails in and around Addison County.
“One of the benefits is we have a lot of trails in close proximity, within 45 minutes, so you can ride a lot of different varieties,” Steele said. “I think that’s something we as a team take advantage of.”
The team also dedicates time to helping maintain local trails to teach riders about trail stewardship and emphasize that they must “earn their turn.”
“Earn your turn means putting in the shovel work, getting trails ready,” McFarland explained. “Every season, all trail networks need pre-maintenance, or maintenance before we can actually start riding on trails safely.”
5Town Riders has steadily grown its membership over the years. The club started out with around a dozen participants, largely from the Bristol area.
“In 2021, we were really, truly the 5-town riders,” 5Town Riders parent coach Mary Yates recalled.
Today, the mountain biking club is made up of around 40 riders from all over the county.
Fundraising efforts, led by Steele, have helped keep the program accessible to prospective riders.
Raised funds have gone toward purchasing new jerseys, helmets and additions to a “bike library” that local riders can borrow from.
Grant funding and additional support recently allowed the Bristol Rec Department and 5Town Riders to add six new bikes to the library.
“That’s huge, to be able to offer that as a resource,” Steele said. “Biking is not an inexpensive thing, so to be able to lower that barrier where they don’t have to own a bike to participate, for us as a club is a really big deal.”
Fundraising has also allowed 5Town Riders to offer scholarships and keep its registration fees down.
“(Fundraising) has helped lower the barrier to entry, which can be significant,” Steele said.
Parent volunteers have been another key part of the club’s success over the years. Steele and Yates are part of a group of around 15 parents who help provide transportation to trails and coach the mountain biking team.
“I think a big part of what we have done is we have involved more parents, and that started last year,” Yates said of the group’s growth.
5Town Riders is open to both new and experienced mountain bikers. McFarland said the majority of participants have some prior experience, with many members having taken part in the mountain bike camps offered through the Bristol Rec Department.
Those camps have proven to be popular among local riders. This year’s sessions opened for registration on Feb. 1 and sold out in less than 10 minutes, McFarland said.
“Hands down our growth is because of the Bristol Rec Department and Meridith leading that as the director,” Yates said. “There was not bike camps in the department before Meridith came.”
FUTURE SEASONS
With the program welcoming new participants and seeing previous riders gain experience, organizers are hoping to keep the program engaging for all members.
“There’s a pretty significant range of ability,” Steele said. “That’s one of the challenges we’re facing in our growth, figuring out how to be a program that can accommodate a 5th-grader who maybe doesn’t have a lot of experience mountain biking all the way up to seniors in high school with a lot of experience.”
Organizers are particularly hoping to retain older riders who might be drawn to other fall sports during the racing season.
“Especially at that teenage level, there starts to be a lot of opportunities for other things,” Steele said.
Looking ahead, other goals for future seasons include purchasing a trailer to help transport bikes to trail rides and building a beginner-friendly trail for newer riders.
Another shared priority — continuing to celebrate riders’ achievements and make sure kids keep having fun.
“Watching them progress through the season or through the years, you start to see that joy for biking,” Steele said. “Even kids that aren’t participating in racing and are coming in new to biking, you get to the end of the season or over the course of a few years and it’s turned into something they’re interested in, something closer to a passion. That’s pretty neat to see.”
Registration for this year’s 5Town Riders season is now open, and more information about the club can be found at tinyurl.com/5TownRiders.
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