Pedaling Toward Opportunity: Youth Gravel Cycling Grant
Life Time Foundation is excited to announce a new Youth Movement grant! The Foundation has awarded $15,000 to the Minnesota Youth Cycling Initiative to expand Cook County's Spring Gravel Club, helping remove financial and logistical barriers that prevent young people from participating in cycling.
Founded in 2025, the Minnesota Youth Cycling Initiative was created to expand youth development opportunities beyond mountain biking by promoting health and wellness, community, and education through cycling. Building on the success of Cook County's youth mountain bike program—which grew from eight student-athletes in 2024 to 18 riders in 2025—the organization recognized an opportunity to keep young people active during the spring months, when local mountain bike trails remain closed.
For many students in Cook County, spring offers limited opportunities for endurance sports. Gravel cycling fills that gap by providing a structured, coach-led program that helps students build fitness, confidence, resilience, and lifelong cycling skills while exploring Minnesota's scenic back roads. By training for the local Le Grand Du Nord gravel race, the program also eliminates another common barrier to participation: the need to travel long distances to compete.
Cook County also faces unique economic challenges. With a lower median income and higher cost of living than much of the rest of Minnesota, many families simply cannot afford the cost of another bike and the equipment needed to participate. Life Time Foundation's grant funded a fleet of eight loaner gravel bikes, along with helmets, pedals, lights, water bottle cages, fenders, tubes, and other essential gear, ensuring that cost is no longer a barrier for students interested in joining the club.
The investment goes beyond equipment. The Spring Gravel Club provides structured, supervised rides led entirely by volunteer coaches who are passionate about introducing young people to the lifelong benefits of cycling. Supported by local businesses, Community Education, the Cook County YMCA, and the Le Grand Du Nord race organizers, the program creates a welcoming environment where students can safely develop new skills, build meaningful relationships, and gain confidence on and off the bike.
During the inaugural Spring 2026 season, three students participated in the program. Every rider relied on the loaner bikes purchased through this grant, meaning the opportunity simply would not have existed without this investment. Over eight weeks of training, the students explored the gravel roads of Cook County before accomplishing their goal of completing the 26-mile Le Grand Du Nord course alongside their coaches.
"The gravel bike team opened a whole new way for these young athletes to be active while discovering the thrill of exploring the back roads of Cook County. As a coach it was so fun to see their confidence grow. Then to watch them tackle their first race, smiling despite the mud and cold, and oh so proud of themselves—it was fantastic!" says Cook County Spring Gravel Club coach Jeanne.
While this first season served three student-athletes, the impact of the grant will extend far beyond a single year. The bikes and equipment will continue serving future participants, creating sustainable access to cycling for years to come. Looking ahead, the Minnesota Youth Cycling Initiative hopes to welcome more students into the program, continue fostering health and wellness through outdoor movement, and explore opportunities to expand into additional cycling programs that connect even more young people with Minnesota's incredible outdoor spaces.
