Official Kids Mag

By Karen Rice Official Kids Mag Robbie Pfunder makes a living riding his bike. Pretty cool, huh? That's what can happen when you are dedicated to something you love. Robbie is a full-time pro rider, and he's ranked 4th in all of North America. He currently lives in Boulder, Colorado where there are lots of mountain bike trails. He'll be in Bentonville in August, at the Benton County Fair, where he'll be performing Mountain Bike Stunt Shows, signing autographs and meeting kids like you! Official Kids Mag had a chance to talk to Robbie and get some pro tips on mountain biking. when did you start mountain biking? I first started when I was 12 years old. I was actually on a BMX bike and my buddies and I were riding on homemade dirt track courses in our backyards. Then in high school I got a proper mountain bike and was lucky that my school had a mountain bike team. That's when I started racing interscholastically. The rest is history. I've been mountain biking for 24 years now. tell us about being a champion. what is the championship race like? I've won the Mountain States Pro Title 4 times in the category of Mountain Bike Trials. The Championship is held in a location with challenging terrain. Riders have to maneuver over super tough obstacles, through a timed course, without putting their feet on the ground. The rider who makes the least number of mistakes wins the event. have you ridden the Bentonville bike trails? Believe it or not I've never had the pleasure of riding in Bentonville but have heard about it for a few years now. I've watched videos on YouTube and heard from my riding buddies about how amazing the trail system is! I'm super excited to check it out and test my Rocky Mountain skills. what's the secret of your success? I stay pretty focused on my riding and improving my show but I also try not to take myself too seriously, otherwise life gets too serious. Riding bikes is about having fun and I believe that that's very important. what advice would you give to kids just starting out in mountain biking or cycling? The advice I would give would be to practice skills in the grass! I learned the hard way growing up that pavement hurts a lot. If you're going to practice skills or tricks, then you might as well have a soft By Karen Rice Official Kids Mag Riding a bike is fun, and good exercise too, but you have to do it safely! Here are some tips for becoming a safe bike rider! use your head, wear a helmet. A helmet is the number one way to protect your head from injury on a bike. Wear your helmet every time you are bike riding, skating or riding a scooter. Make sure your helmet fits, and put it on correctly. (Ask your adult to help you.) Your helmet should sit on top of your head in a level position, and should not rock forward, backward or side to side. The helmet straps must always be buckled, but not too tightly. EYES check: Position the helmet on your head. Look up and you should see the bottom rim of the helmet. The rim should be one to two finger-widths above the eyebrows. EARS check: Make sure the straps of the helmet form a "V" under your ears when buckled. The strap should be snug but comfortable. MOUTH check: Open your mouth as wide as you can. Do you feel the helmet hug your head? If not, tighten those straps and make sure the buckle is flat against your skin. check your ride. Make sure your bike is the right size for you. When you are sitting on the seat of your bicycle, your feet should be able to touch the ground. If your bike is too big, it can be difficult to control. Deck out your bike with a horn, bell and bright headlight. Before you ride, inflate your tires and make sure your brakes work. Make extra sure you have reflectors on the front and rear of your bicycle (white lights on the front and red rear reflectors are required by law in many states), in addition to reflectors on your tires, so others can see you. dress for the ride. Dress in neon, fluorescent, or other stay safe on your bike got bike skills? Robbie Pfunder takes mountain biking to a whole new level 40 • June & July 2020 • officialkidsMag.com

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