When youths are riding bikes as part of Lifecycles, they are doing much more than getting some exercise.

As Lifecycles founder Lee DeRemer explained, neurological research has emerged in the past few years showing that when you challenge yourself to do hard things and you complete them, you can actually change the way your brain works.

"It's about a creating a set of habits that says, 'I can do this,' instead of, 'I think that's too hard,'" Lee shared.

Forty-three teens experienced what it's like to "do hard things," the motto of Lifecycles, when they participated in Challenge Rides this summer. One team rode 320 miles from the Pittsburgh area to Washington, D.C., while another team rode 535 miles from Portland, Maine, to Valley Forge. Three other teams completed a 380-mile journey around Lake Champlain and Lake George on the border of New York and Vermont.

"They all did very well on the rides," Lee said. "They dealt with fatigue, rain and heat, but they pushed through, and they all came back very proud of themselves."

Lifecycles began in 2015, when Lee and his wife, Marcie, created the program to provide friendship, mentoring and bike riding, all with a faith focus. The organization is open to boys and girls ages 12 to 18, and all equipment and programming is provided free of charge.

"There are no tryouts," Lee commented. "Anyone who wants to join can join." Participants do not need to be experienced bike riders, he noted, adding that youths are placed in a group based on their skill level.

Lifecycles has a mission of building young men and women of character. "We do it through long-distance cycling," Lee remarked. "We invest in the kids, and we provide a faith-based curriculum, one for the girls and one for the boys. The program is all about outdoor adventure and building self-confidence."

He noted that the lessons learned in Lifecycles can be applied to school, work and life outside of biking. "You build a habit pattern that has a bit of a courage and a confidence aspect to it, instead of setting your goals so low because you're afraid of failure," he explained. "This is a positive and encouraging environment where boys and girls can discover more of their gifts, growing into the person they were created to become."

This season of Lifecycles will wrap up in mid-October, and the new season will begin next April. The program is open to youths throughout Lancaster County. For more information, visit http://www.lifecyclesteam.org or call 717-586-2511.