A Twin Valley Bike Rodeo, featuring activities for youths ages 4 to 12, will be held on Saturday, May 21, from 10 a.m. to noon at St. James Lutheran Church in Geigertown. The event, being presented by the Twin Valley Mountain Biking Team (TVMBT), will include bike skill stations, a bike and helmet safety check and free giveaways.

The event, designed to promote the sport of bike riding, is free to attend; however, donations are being accepted to fund scholarships for team riders in need. Participants are asked to bring their own bikes and helmets.

"(The bike rodeo) is for kids who want to get a flavor of mountain biking or biking in general," said John Spahr, one of the team's coaches. "We want to get more kids on bikes."

Activities will take place in the church parking lot and grove. "(Youths will) have a series of eight to 10 stations with different obstacles or features to practice their on-the-bike skills," Spahr explained.

Obstacles will include "The Lava Bridge," "Circle of Doom," "Mountain Top," "Mine Field" and "Newpaper Toss." "People used to deliver newspapers off their bikes and throw them onto the front porches. We will test their accuracy with that," Spahr noted.

Bike and helmet safety checks will also be offered. "We will do a visual inspection of the helmet and show them how to put it on and wear the helmet. It sounds easy, but it's easy to get wrong," noted Spahr. "We will give them some guidance (by checking) the ABCs - air in the tires, brakes and the chain."

Volunteers from the TVMBT will be on hand to help run the event and guide attendees along the course. "We are trying to teach our student-athletes the importance of giving back to the community, whether it is in knowledge or skills," Spahr stated. "The (goal) for them is to take leadership roles and demonstrate the fun and benefit of riding bikes. Ultimately, we want to get interested riders to join the team in the future as well."

The TVMBT, which formed in 2016, is part of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Cycling League (PICL). During competitions, youths ride off-road and on local trails. "We start practice on July 1, and the season goes until Oct. 31," Spahr said. "We are expecting 50 riders this year and about 25 coaches."

While most team members own their own mountain bikes, the team has several bikes that students may borrow to see if they like the sport. "We provide the kids with a team jersey," said Spahr, noting that the only expenses are the race fees and PICL membership.

Information about joining the TVMBT will be available during the bike rodeo. "One of the mantras we use is 'Challenge by choice.' If you want to be competitive, we are here to support you. If you want to focus on enjoyment, we have a spot for you as well," stated Spahr. "Abilities are not all the same. Goals are not all the same. We try to meet the kids where they are and identify their goals and help them to achieve their goals."

For more information, visit http://www.tvmtb.com or http://www.facebook.com/twinvalleymtb. For GPS users, the address of St. James Lutheran Church is 1337 Geigertown Road, Birdsboro.