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W.Va. Youths Compete on Mountain Bikes at Grand Vue Park

MOUNDSVILLE - A West Virginia group wants more kids on mountain bikes, and about 300 of them from across the state came to Grand Vue Park in Moundsville on Sunday.

One youth was Liam Wohleber, a seventh-grade student from Shepherdstown who was just excited to be on a bike and racing.

"It's fun," Wohleber explained. "Last year, I couldn't race. I had an injury."

The West Virginia Interscholastic Cycling Association affiliated with the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) is a youth organization for those in grades 6-12, explained Sarah Elkins, lead director of the state group.

"We prefer to say that we are a character-development organization that just happens to involve mountain bikes," she explained. "What you are seeing here are kids doing really hard stuff on a really hard course, and they are racing."

Elkins said more than 300 young cyclists registered to compete in the event, and there are 22 teams - including one Northern West Virginia composite team, the Ridge Riders.

Competitors come from all over the state. Elkins, herself, said she drove five hours from Greenbrier County for the event.

The event in Moundsville was actually the first for the cyclists on the NICA circuit this year, though it was supposed to be the second. An earlier race scheduled to happen Aug. 15-16 at Canaan Valley State Park was cancelled due to flooding.

Upcoming events are set for Bruceton Mills, Harrisville and the Summit-Bechtel Reserve in Glen-Jean. An eastern regional race in Charlottesville, Virginia later in the fall concludes the season.

Those wanting to know more about the organization and find a team to join closest to them should go to westvirginiamtb.org.

"We want to get more kids on bikes," Elkins continued. "We would love to have you."