Donated bikes roll into Yukon, schools gear up for fitness program

A fleet of donated mountain bikes has rolled into Yukon after all, despite hitting a bump earlier in the form of high shipping fees. 

Whitehorse's Takhini Elementary School, and Pelly Crossing's Eliza Van Bibber were two of the three Canadian schools selected this year to participate in a program by U.S.-based Outride — formerly called the Specialized Foundation. Winning schools get high-end mountain bikes and gear, and participate in a study of the links between fitness and academic performance. 

But shipping the Specialized bikes from California to Yukon proved to be prohibitively expensive, and it was uncertain whether any bikes would arrive before winter. Outride decided to source out different bikes from Canadian retailers — 27 for Takhini, 16 for the Pelly Crossing school.

"They're slightly different. The bikes that we tried out in California were custom for the program," said Amanda Bartle, a teacher at Takhini.

She's not complaining, though. The bikes have all arrived, and local retailer iCycle Sports has been busy assembling them.

"They're beautiful bikes. They feel great, they look great," Bartle said.   

She hopes to start the mountain biking program with students next week, and maybe get some rides in before the snow flies. 

The program will be geared toward kids in Grades 5 to 7, and includes lessons on bike safety and skills. Bartle hopes students will use the bikes as often as possible, as a complement to other classroom learning.

"It doesn't feel like work, when you're with your friends and you're on the trails ... you're out in the cool air and sunshine, and I think it makes kids excited to get back in [to class] and to refocus," she said.