A proper mountain bike club at a school? What sounds like a childhood dream has become a reality at the Ernst Reuter School in Groß-Umstadt (Hesse). No pseudo-mountain biking with bad bikes on boring trails that even Grandma Meier can ride on her old ladies' bike. No, this is the real deal.
To make this possible at all, you first need one thing: serious mountain bikes. Fortunately, numerous major sponsors and the support of the Hessian Ministry of Culture have been secured for the project. In cooperation with a local bicycle dealer, it has been possible to provide real mountain bikes with decent brakes and suspension forks and to set up a proper bike workshop. Because if you ride, you should also be able to tinker.
The MTB club is divided into three areas: Riding technique training under instruction on a specially created track, wrenching and maintenance of the bikes with the support of a bike mechanic and, of course, group rides on the trails of the Odenwald, which is right on the doorstep.
This enables all students who are interested in mountain biking to get started without having to spend a lot of money. They learn how to maintain a bike, which also encourages co-operation and team spirit. In addition, improving your riding technique naturally also contributes significantly to road safety. There is no doubt that fitness is promoted in the process. True to the motto of the ERS Bikeschool "Away from the console, onto the bike". A real pioneering project, just like BIKE Magazine in 1989.
Adrian Kaether
Editor
