July 29, 2020
Contact: Nancy Lee Gomer, Marketing Coordinator, 636-949-7535, or 636-795-1137, ngomer@sccmo.org
St. Charles County, Missouri – One of the nation’s top biking instructors will teach area biking enthusiasts how to master riding at the nation’s largest asphalt pump track. The track, located at the Youth Activity Park, 7801 Town Square Ave. in Dardenne Prairie, was just completed and opened last month.
The St. Charles County Parks and Recreation Department is teaming up with expert instructor Jay Thomas and Roots Mountain Biking, located in New Hampshire, to offer Mountain Bike Pump Track Lessons from 8 – 10 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 22.; Sept. 19; and Oct. 31. Thomas is a Level 3 Certified Skills Instructor in the Bike Instructor Certification Program (BICP) and is one of only 12 in the country.
Participants must be at least 16 years old but can have any ability level to take the class. During these two-hour sessions, participants will learn how to accelerate without pedaling and how to take corners faster. Other skills that will be taught include bike and body separation, basic wheel lifts, pumping and basic jumping. Participants will learn the essential skills needed to ride the asphalt pump track with confidence and then be able to practice the skills on the track. Participants must have a good working mountain bike or a dirt jumper; BMX bikes are not allowed. Helmets and knee pads are required, and elbow pads are strongly recommended.
The Mountain Bike Pump Track class is $60; space is limited to eight participants on each date. Guests must pre-register online. To reserve a spot for the Aug. 22 class, visit https://bit.ly/PumpTrackLessons1; for the Sept. 19 lesson, https://bit.ly/PumpTrackLessons2; and for the Oct. 31 lesson, https://bit.ly/PumpTrackLessons3. For more information, email jaythomasmtb@gmail.com or call 603-501-8323.
St. Charles County Parks opened this amazing asphalt pump track at the Youth Activity Park in Dardenne Prairie on June 24 and the park has become THE extreme sports park to visit. In addition to having this massive 30,000-square-foot track featuring beginner, intermediate and advance sections, the park also has the largest outdoor skate and bike course in Missouri. Admission is free in 2020; helmets and a participation waiver are required to skate, bike and scooter in the park. The park is open year-round and also offers an indoor complex with tabletop games, a gaming area and the YAP Café. Outside, guests can play sand volleyball, half-court basketball and tetherball. For more information, call the Youth Activity Park at 636-561-4964 or visit stccparks.org