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The Scouts of St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church wrapped up their cycling program with a mountain biking campout at Lake Ray Roberts’ Isle du Bois State Park where they completed additional Cycling merit badge requirements, and completed an Orienteering course, before riding the single track loops built and supported by *DORBA.
The attending 11 Scouts ranging in ages 10-14, and 7 adult leaders began their Saturday with a warm-up ride of the paved park trails to fine tune their bikes before attacking DORBA Loops A & B before lunch. After lunch, the Scouts practiced navigating obstacles in the parking area to build confidence for the more difficult Loop C, a nearly 4 mile course with multiple elevation changes and a variety of obstacles. Although all the Scouts and leaders began Loop “C” hoping to complete the course before starting dinner, the degree of difficulty proved too time consuming for most Scouts. Only Scout Robert Delcambre and one leader finished the course just after sunset…(not knowing that the rest of the Troop left the course earlier to start dinner). The course’s degree of difficulty lead to a few spills and falls that fortunately led to no serious injuries thanks to protective gear worn by the cyclists.
Dad, Tony Steeger, said the rides “…were the most thrills his boys have had in sometime”. When asked about his ride that day, Scout Wil Ineich simply responded with “zzzzzzzzzzzz”. In fact, Saturday night the Troop leaders experienced a previously unknown phenomenon of not having to tell the Scouts to go to bed. Scoutmaster, Mike Koenecke, could not find a few boys that had gone to bed before dinner was cleaned up. Sunday began with temperatures in the 20s and sore muscles that few knew existed, but the smiles and the thrill of discovering off road cycling will last long after the aches and pains are gone. “This weekend was a total success…” said Assistant Scoutmaster, Stephen Carpenter, “…the boys learned a lot about cycling, tested the limits of their physical fitness, and discovered the sport of off road cycling and of DORBA, the organization that makes these courses possible”.
*DORBA, or Dallas Off Road Bicycle Association was founded in 1988 to promote the sport of mountain biking through advocacy and education. DORBA sponsors and maintains over 20 mountain bike trails in the North Texas Area
For more information on Boy Scout Troop 728, visit http://www.troop728.net/ and for more information of DORBA, Dallas Off Road Bicycle Association, visit http://www.dorba.org/
