Setup & Objective

Define a small area to ride in. Riders learn to balance at low speeds, track stand, and turn sharply.

Rules

• Riders start after a slow count to 10
• Don't put your foot down ("Dab")
• If you leave the area, you're out — become an obstacle
• If you put your foot down, you're out — stay as an obstacle
• No bike or body contact

Progression

• Ride one-handed
• Make the space smaller
• Switch directions
• Encourage riders to use the entire space
• Sharks: Mentors ride in as "sharks" causing non-contact challenges

Setup & Objective

Played along the trail or in a field. Best in pairs. Learn to balance and do tricks through peer instruction.

Rules

• One rider describes a "trick" and must perform it first
• Other riders must do it too or they get a letter
• If a rider calls a trick but doesn't perform it, they forfeit the turn but don't earn a letter
• First to spell "BIKE" is out
• Allow one redo / "mulligan" per game

Bracket Format

Switch up pairs like a bracket so first place plays first place, second plays second, and so on.

Setup & Objective

Set up riders at one end of a field with a finish line. Learn to balance at slow speed.

Rules

• Last one to cross the finish line wins
• Must ride in a straight line
• If you put your foot down, you're out — become a judge
• If you track stand, you're out

Progression

• Add a cone or bike to require a turn
• Add skinny or painted lines to stay inside
• Add a log to go over

Tips

• If riders are getting out too quickly, encourage finding the right speed
• Coaches can play but track a coach winner and kid winner separately

Setup & Objective

Riders loop, one coach holds the limbo stick (pool noodle). Focus on Low Hinge — chin to bar, flat feet, belly button over bottom bracket.

Rules

• Riders who are out stand inside the loop
• Do not play with an uphill slope

Progression

Reverse Limbo: Rider needs to touch the pool noodle and it gets raised with every lap. Helps with balance and gives taller kids a chance to win after all the short kids win normal Limbo!

Tips

• Play music!
• Coaches can play — track a coach winner and kid winner

Setup

Limbo, skinny, tabletop, right-angle turn, slalom cones, logs, etc. Circle course with stopwatches, pen & paper, and several coaches.

Rules

• Each coach has only one rider on the course at a time
• Each coach times their rider and records their time
• Not a head-to-head race — riders compete against themselves only
• Times are not announced

Progression

• Add new challenges each week
• Mount a tire
• Remove and reinstall a front wheel
• Remove and reinstall a back wheel
• Drink from a water bottle between features
• Use a real trail

Tips

• Praise riders who went faster than their previous lap
• Praise riders who try a new challenge or technique

Setup & Objective

Create start and finish lines as far apart as possible with judges along the course. Learn to stop quickly and under control.

Rules

• Last rider(s) to stop are out
• First to the finish line wins
• OK to put your foot down
• If you fall, you're out

Tips

• Telegraph your words — keep a hand in the air, lower it before calling "red light"
• Don't call out every rider; just pick the last people to stop
• Let the winner be a caller
• Only coaches call people out

Setup & Objective

CPush one end of the pool noodle onto the end of the handlebar. Place a water bottle on the ground in an open area

Rules

• Use only the pool noodle to knock over the water bottle.

Setup & Objective

Designate a starting point or line. Put a square of cardboard about 20 feet away

Rules

• Ride over the cardboard. When the rear tire is on the cardboard, lock the rear brake and slide on the cardboard while remaining balanced.
• Who can slide the furthest?

Setup & Objective

Create a line of cones.

Rules

• Ride toward the cones.
• Use brakes and see how close you can stop before the cones; pause without putting a foot down.
• Turn and ride away without hitting the cones.

Setup

Lay all the bikes down in a circle, with the kids making a circle outside the bikes. Have a speaker/phone to play music or do a DIY coach(es) sing & clap if no speaker or phone is available.

Rules

• Kids walk in a circle around the bikes while music is playing.
• When the music stops, each kid picks up the bike that’s closest to them.
• Then everyone sets the bikes back down together.
• Then begin the music again.

Progression

• Once the kids know how to set bikes down properly, play again where the kids walk pushing their bikes in a circle, and set them down properly when the music stops.

Setup & Objective

Create simple course or area for the kids to ride in using cones (but don’t use red/orange cones. On a portion of the course, use red/orange cones to create a few small “lava” zones. If a “course” isn’t available, use a trail or a field

Rules

• Riders ride the course, whenever they pass through the red/orange zones, the seat is lava and they need to get up off the seat.
• If a “course” isn’t available, utilize the verbal “volcano eruption!” cue mentioned below

Tips

• TCoaches can call out “volcano eruption!” at any time and all the kids should get out of their seats until the coach says “Ice age.”

Setup & Objective

Organize the group into a line to practice riding in a train

• Practice riding in a group.
• Practice different riding skills while having the advantage of seeing the rider in front.
• Practice using “trail eyes” to see what the rider in front is doing.

Rules

• The first person in the line is the leader, and should call out what everyone in the group should do.
• IRide around an area, with the group following the leader in a line.
• The leaders job is to keep the group together and let everyone know what’s coming.
• The leader should chooses where to go and what to do, such as “ready to start?,” “turn coming up,” “stopping”, “coast,” “hinge,” etc.
• Rotate the leader so everyone gets a turn.

Tips

• Coaches can play too and show how to be a good vocal leader.
• Make sure the leader is heaping the pace slow enough that gaps don’t open up.

Setup & Objective

Use cones to create a slalom course on a grass downhill

• Practice controlling bike and speed on a downhill
• Practice braking out of the saddle
• Practice body/bike separation.

Rules

• Take turns riding down the slalom course and then back up the hill.

Tips

• Keep the turns tight enough that the kids need to keep their bikes slow to get through the course.
• Encourage riding the course out of the saddle
• Watch kids fore/aft position on bike to make sure their hips are slightly back and low

Progression

• Do a timed “slow race” (one at a time) down the course
• As the kids develop confidence in the ability to slow down, straighten the cones out so they can pick up a bit more speed

Setup & Objective

Riders split into two groups and line up side by side, half on one side of a field and half on the opposite side. Have one coach on each side as well. Set up a skill or obstacle in the field to do while riding across (cone slalom, wheel lift, water bottle to pick up, high-five a coach, etc)

• Practice various riding skills (coasting, riding out of the saddle, hinge, etc.)

Rules

• Side one will choose a rider from side two, and all yell together “ghost rider ghost rider send [rider name] over.
• That rider rides across the field performing the skill or obstacle on the way across.
• Then team two asks to send a rider from team one over.

Tips

• When sending a group over, the riders can form a train and ride in a line with even spacing.
• Make sure all riders are called over roughly equally.

Progression

• Send multiple riders across (or the whole team)