Kids from Missoula piled out of white transport vans into a park-like setting in the Bitterroot Valley on a recent sunny Thursday morning, ready to hop on bikes for an adventure on the miles of woodland trails offered at multi-use recreation area, The Property in Victor, with instruction from a mountain biking pro.

Former USA Cycling National Champion and co-owner of The Property, Arthur Sykes, starts helping take bikes off of racks and talks with the kids as the youngsters start zooming around the dirt parking lot. Today they will be working on skill development and confidence building, emphasizing the importance of feeling comfortable and in control — but the main focus is going to be braking.

“They mostly want to see more thrill, less skill, and some airtime and just being able to do

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