Central Colorado Mountain Riders aims to make dirt biking safer by offering two Motorcycle Safety Foundation dirt bike classes April 26 at Chaffee County Fairgrounds, 10165 CR 120 in Poncha Springs.
Two classes will be offered. One, a new addition, is designed for ages 6-11, the other for those ages 12 and older.
Participants will learn how to sit on and operate bikes, gain better control and balance and navigate obstacles.
Paul Smith, one of the teachers and a CCMR board member, said in October 2023 five members took a four-day course and on the last day provided a one-day course to around six participants. “We were evaluating the students while we were being evaluated by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation,” he said, who had come from California.
After almost a year, in October 2024, they offered another course. “We thought that there was a need for both young people and adults to get a program focused on safety … to get them going down the correct path,” Smith said. While those who try to teach their friends are often well-meaning, he said, “we thought it’d be best to use a proven program.”
“There’s a lot of trails around here, roads and single-track that people can use, and it turns out there is a demand,” he said. Smith started the program with four others, Anthony Ware, Emma Dunn, Norman Lastovica and Courtney Brown.
The program will take place on flat, unpaved terrain, northeast of the fairgrounds parking area, with no obstacles starting off. It will finish in a small area behind the bleachers with a small, shallow slope, with riders going up the hill at an angle and back down, he said.
This will be their first time offering the program to younger riders, Smith said, and their youth program has a capacity of six, while their ages-12-plus program can take up to eight people.
For this program, they recommend participants wear long sleeves, over-the-ankle boots and durable gloves and bring a helmet if they have one, he said. CCMR has some motorcycles and protective clothing available on a first-come, first-served basis for those who enroll sooner, but not enough for everyone, he said. The class starts at 8 a.m. and will typically end around 3 p.m., but depending on how well the group absorbs information, the class may wrap up sooner or later. The course also offers students a free lunch.
“We’re hoping that we’re able to fill the class and that everybody has a good time,” Smith said. For anyone who can’t make this program, they will have another course in the fall, he said.
Registration costs $100 at centralcoloradomountainriders.com. Contact Brown at 719-207-5223 or email courtneybrwn@yahoo.com. More details will follow in an email to the participants.
