Tucked inside Sunderbruch Park, young mountain bike riders are hitting the trails.
“Everybody is really, really supportive,” said Ryan Squires, a sophomore in North Scott’s mountain biking club. “I’m following people’s lines. You pass somebody, you give them a fist bump, say ‘Good job, how’s it going, man?’ It’s really fun, it’s a really supportive culture.”
Locally, three groups for young riders have started in recent years, including North Scott, Muscatine Youth Mountain Bike Club, and the Quad City Area Youth Mountain Bike Club.
“Mountain biking is a combination of fitness and skill,” said Karl Dimmer, North Scott Mountain Bike Club’s founder and head coach. “I think kids are just looking for something new to do. It’s a fun sport, it gets them outside. I just think the word is spreading that the kids enjoy it.”