Pedaling Toward Opportunity: Life Time Foundation's Youth Cycling Grant

Life Time Foundation is so excited to announce a new Youth Movement grant! Life Time Foundation has awarded $15,000 to Minnesota Youth Cycling Initiative to expand Cook County’s Spring Gravel Club by removing financial and logistical barriers. This new program provides structured training, access to equipment (bikes, helmets, etc) and a pathway for youth to engage in gravel cycling.  

Minnesota Youth Cycling Initiative is a nonprofit that has been created to expand access to healthy, lifelong physical activity for Minnesota youth through cycling. Through this new program, Minnesota Youth Cycling Initiative aims to encourage endurance, resilience and connection to Minnesota’s natural landscapes, extensive trail and rural road networks.   

Cook County has lower income and higher cost of living than much of the rest of Minnesota, leaving many families with fewer discretionary funds for new sports, especially those with higher equipment costs. This grant was used to provide a fleet of eight new gravel bikes, along with pedals, water bottle cages, fenders, lights, helmets, and tubes. The Cook County Spring Gravel Club is designed to serve high school students from diverse backgrounds, with a strong focus on inclusivity, skill development, and fostering a lifelong love of outdoor movement.  

The goal of this grant is to make gravel cycling as accessible as possible by removing common barriers to participation such as cost for equipment, and that is exactly what this grant accomplished. During the Spring 2026 season, three students participated in the program. None of these students would have been able to participate without loaner bikes the grant was able to provide.  

Not only were these students introduced to gravel cycling and the back roads of Cook County, but they also had the opportunity to participate in the Le Grand Du Nord. The students, along with their coaches cycled the 26 mile course through Grand Marias, Minnesota.  

“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 Gravel Spring Club coach, Jeanne.   

Looking ahead, the Cook County Spring Gravel Club hopes to build on the success of its first season by welcoming more students into the program and continuing to promote health and wellness, community, and education through gravel cycling. With growing interest from local youth, the club is also exploring the opportunity to launch a summer program.