Calling all girls in 6th to 12th grades: There’s going to be a special mountain biking event for you only on Sunday, November 17, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“Try It Out” is a free event that will let you try out the growing sport of mountain biking, and you don’t even have to have your own mountain bike to participate. The Verona and Essex Offroad mountain biking teams are bringing a trailer full of bikes that you can borrow to join in on the fun. (Nina Machnowski, the Verona High School senior pictured above, has been racing in local and national mountain biking events for several years.)
The event will be held at Cedar Grove Community Park on Slattery Drive. There will be games, laughs, a casual bike ride on the rail trail and more. No experience necessary: Certified coaches will be there to show you the basics and guide the activities. All you have to do is register online using this form.
Essex Offroad was formed two years ago with more than 25 student-athletes in grades 6 to 12 and six coaches from all over Essex County. Verona students now account for more than 25% of the Essex Offroad team, so earlier this year, they organized as an individual town team. The two teams, which are part of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA), train together from November through May and race at venues around the state against other middle school and high school mountain biking teams.
