This semester, Har-Ber high school will be introducing a new Bicycling Club thanks to Senior Isaiah Coleman and the club’s teacher advisor Mr. Pitman. The first meeting took place Feb 3 and the club will continue to meet throughout the rest if the school year.
“Cycling is a good way to relieve stress, and at Har-ber I know of a lot of people who need a way to relieve their stress,” said Coleman.
Vance Pitman, a regular mountain bike rider and former bike racer, was the perfect choice.
“One of the students wanted to start a club, and he and the administrators were looking for a sponsor who could work with the club all year,” said Pitman.
Though the club currently has no plans to ride during school, Mr. Pitman has ideas of working with the P.E teachers to set up a way for the club to cycle during school hours. There may be some scheduled rides outside of school once the weather warms up though no plans have been made.
“Springdale has plans for a large mountain bike park and we’ll plan rides there, too, if enough students are interested,” said Pitman.
According to both Coleman and Pitman, this club is meant to target both those who are already skilled riders as well as those who are beginners who want to advance their bike riding skills. However, a main concern will be safety, particularly riding on city streets and combined use paths.
“It’s legal for cyclists to ride on any city streets, but many drivers don’t know the laws, so cyclists have to be very careful,” said Pitman.
Bike maintenance will also be an important skill bicycling club members will learn during club meetings and activities, however, guests coming from the Bicycle Correlation of the Ozarks will be there to help with this.
“Just like your car, truck, and other vehicles, if you don’t perform regular maintenance it will really affect your ride and the life of your vehicle,” said Pitman.
So far, the bicycling club only has a dozen members and hopes to get to about twenty regular members this semester. Regular club meetings are scheduled to take place on the first Monday of every month and there may be future weekend meetings scheduled as the weather gets warmer.