Triangle Youth Cycling by TORC

Bike skills and civic stewardship for the trail.

A youth off-road biking and trail stewardship program of Triangle Off-Road Cyclists.

Looking for scholarship support? Learn about the Milner Family Scholarship and apply.

Across TORC’s storied history we have hosted more than 180 youth cycling events in the Triangle and supported more than 1,200 children. The Triangle Youth Cycling by TORC program gives young riders across North Carolina’s Triangle a welcoming way to learn off road biking on TORC’s built and managed trails. We help parents and youth explore local trails and develop a civic relationship with the trail community.

Through progressive skills instruction, guided group rides, family trail days, and hands-on stewardship, participants develop confidence on a bike while building a lasting connection to the places they ride.

All together.

Biking on our natural surface trails can give young people confidence, independence, friendship, and a lifelong reason to spend time outside. TORC connects that experience with something equally important: learning how trails are shared, protected, and cared for.

Our youth programming is built around four experiences:

Mountain bike skills.

Riders learn foundational and progressive techniques such as body position, braking, shifting, cornering, climbing, descending, obstacle management, trail awareness, and responsible decision-making.

Guided trail rides.

Small, supported groups explore Triangle trails at an appropriate pace. Ride groups are organized by age, experience, and trail readiness—not speed alone.

Family trail days.

Designated events invite parents and caregivers to learn alongside their young riders, meet other families, and become part of the broader TORC trail community.

Trail stewardship.

Age-appropriate stewardship activities help participants understand sustainable trails, trail etiquette, land-manager relationships, volunteer service, and the responsibility that comes with enjoying shared outdoor spaces.

Partnerships across the Triangle.

TORC’s leadership role in trail building offers us the unique opportunity to welcome other cycling programs onto the trails we build and maintain across the Triangle. Our goal here is to help parents and youth choose the nearby cycling sports teams or programs that offer more opportunities. Triangle Youth Cycling by TORC is not a race team or school-based cycling league. Email director@torc-nc.org to help find the nearby, neighborhood or school affiliated youth cycling program.

The Milner Family Scholarship

With the Milner family and the North Carolina Interscholastic Cycling League (NCICL), TORC is helping a young rider take part in the 2027 season. The scholarship honors local mountain biker Nancy Milner and her family’s belief in education—including sports and the arts—and in encouraging more women to ride.

Who can apply: Female middle- and high-school student athletes who are eligible or registered for the 2027 NCICL season, are affiliated with a team in the greater Triangle, and face a material or financial barrier to participating in NICA.

Applications close November 22, 2026. Parents and caregivers can review the full eligibility, participation commitment, and application details in the form.

For parent questions, email triangleyouthcycling@torc-nc.org.

Cost is free. Community is priceless.

The cost of administering the Triangle Youth Cycling by TORC program is completely free to parents. The program is administered by TORC staff and volunteers. Program administration is offered by TORC Members and the trail supporting community.

Email triangleyouthcycling@torc-nc.org for more information.