Welcome to 2022
We're looking forward to another great year of experiences to empower youth.
There's plenty for you to get active and outdoors this year so keep your eyes open for invites and scheduled events. Here's a few of our planned events listed below. Be sure to block off your calendars!
We've got a lot of stuff going on for you this year
JANUARY
TYMBR Wolves Mountain Biking Season
FEBRUARY
Spring Excursions training season starts
Black Farm Tour registration opens
MAY
Spring Excursions NC tour
SnR Summer Experience training season starts
JUNE
Bikes & Barnyards Summer Camp
Triangle Bikeworks Virtual Tour series
JULY
SnR Summer Experience tour of The Great Migration
AUGUST
Fall Excursions to cap out the year
Of course, this is not everything and Let's Ride! events are throughout the year. Triangle Bikeworks youth might get invited to who know what?! It all adds up to great experiences for growth and empowerment.
Come hang out with us virtually or in person.
We'd love to have you along.
Youth Experiences
A Part Of The Conversation
written by Solomon
The Major Pull
A Desire To Be A Part Of The Conversation
I joined Triangle Bikeworks in January 2018. I wasn’t into being physically active at all. I left that to the rest of my family. However, my mom didn’t think that should continue being a trend. She told me about 3 days before my first practice that she had signed me up to join the team. I didn’t think I would enjoy it much because to me, riding a bike was more of a means to get places. My plan was to go once and say I didn’t have fun. If I had done that, I would’ve been lying.
I thought it would be a typical formal team setting where the coaches were uptight and my teammates were only focused on riding their bike. Turns out, neither of those things were true. Everyone was super relaxed and joking around. I stayed quiet most of the time, but the desire to be a part of the conversations was strong.
My major pull, what pulled me in, was the people. It was making new connections with people. The other one was when we began to actually learn about hidden history, untold history, and the environment. Learning while being a part of the program was more engaging and interesting than doing the same at school. It also gave me the motivation to work towards being able to see the places we were learning about. That meant getting seasoned on the bike.
At first, the bike riding wasn’t appealing. At the end of each practice I just wanted to sleep for the next two days. But as I built up my stamina I was able to develop my riding skills. This allowed me to be more observant of the spaces we biked through. Biking wound up as much of a pull factor as the untold history I was learning.
That's why I’ve stayed for the past 5 years!
This will unfortunately be my last year, but I hope to come back to volunteer in the future. I know that as time goes on, more history will be uncovered and I want to at least hear about it from the group of youth that follow behind me.
*Solomon is in his 5th year with Triangle Bikeworks and serves on the Board of Directors.
Nulla mauris dolor, gravida a varius blandit, auctor eget purus. Phasellus scelerisque sapien sit amet mauris laoreet, eget scelerisque nunc cursus.
Events
A Day of Service
DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR DAY OF SERVICE
The weather was on the other side of the "just a bit nippy" meter when the Triangle Bikeworks' youth headed out to do the annual MLK Day of service. The plan this year was to cleanup trash along the Libba Cotten Trail, named after the famous blues musician Elizabeth Cotten. Taking a cue from Itza I'll tell you a fun "interestingly coincidental" fact: The Libba Cotten Trail runs along the train tracks in Carrboro and one of Libba's famous songs is called Freight Train about the trains that ran through town.
We didn't get far on our journey to the trail before we stopped to do some cleaning up "in our own backyard", so to speak. Outside the parking lot of CommunityWorx the grass was littered with various objects. Generosity begins at home.
After we completed our work in the parking lot we continued on to the Libba Cotten Trail. Within our allotted time the youth were able to clean trash from 4/5's of the trail. In all the youth were able to fill 5 bagfuls (one bag not pictured because we tossed it in the bin before the photo!).
Of the strange things we find on our Service Days one was a white kitchen trash can that we also filled with trash! What strange things people discard. In 2021 we removed a car seat and in 2020 it was a large black tote. We're still using that tote, by the way. Way to put things into use!
Programs
TYMBR Wolves
The TYMBR Wolves had another day of off the bike training in preparation for the 2022 mountain biking season. This day they were going over the process of changing a tire, learning what punctures a tire, and watching Itza amazingly change a tire with oversized gloves in under four minutes!
I was writing down the steps on the whiteboard as Itza explained them to the youth and after Step 4a I set the marker down. There's just too many. You ever look at the written instructions on something you just purchased? There are so many steps before they even tell you to turn the thing on! Some things are just better explained and demonstrated.
Events
BIKES & BARNYARDS
After two arduous years, Bikes & Barnyards Summer Camp is coming back!
If you have youth that are between ages of 10 and 14 and a beginning to an intermediate cyclist, then this camp is for them! We'll provide just the right amount of "Oomph!" for the youth to challenge themselves while learning new skills and having a blast.
15% Early Bird Discount until 03/30/2022
Events
Black Farm Tour
The planned Princeville Homecoming series is back with the Black Farm Tour.
COVID-19 stopped us from putting on this event in 2020. We're revving up to do it now!
There's no better feeling than riding miles through quiet rural roads along the lush green fields of eastern North Carolina.
Taking time to stop at black owned farms along the way. The day will begin with a 7 mile bike tour of historic Princeville, NC. Other family events included.
Early Bird prices in effect until Feb 28
Volunteer Opportunities
WAYS TO GET INVOLVED
Our mission is to strengthen the power of youth who are Black, Latine, Indigenous, Asian, and People Of Color to overcome challenges, achieve audacious goals, and discover their true selves.