MORGANTOWN — Take this name down, Tour de France-watchers — J.J. Everson.
You just might see him in the coveted yellow jersey sometime.
J.J., who is a 12-year-old, sixth-grader at South Middle School, showed his mettle at pedaling Thursday morning.
He led the pack during the school bike club’s annual railtrail jaunt from Reedsville to Marilla Park. That’s about 20 miles.
“First one in,” his mom, Sheila Everson said.
“It’s cool,” J.J. said. “The scenery in Preston County is something else.”
Getting 36 youngsters born in the age of the gaming console on those two-wheeled contraptions their grandparents used to favor is something else, also, Jessica Harmening said.
Harmening, a South Middle teacher, is the club’s advisor.
“They’re out in the sunshine,” she said. “They’re having fun and getting a workout.”
They even got some handlebar lessons on physics, torque ratios and the like: The South Middle cyclists were joined by representatives from WVU’s “Science Behind the Sport” program, which delivers such knowledge on just that.
A number of parents also joined in, hauling youngers and bikes to Reedsville, and pedaling along also, in many cases.
Cam Williams, a seventh-grade cyclist at South, looked on, bemused, as his dad, Rich Williams, complained (good-naturedly) about the run.
“Jessica said it was gonna be easy,” the elder Williams said. “I’m not so sure about that.”
Erick Roskos had some unfair distractions, too, he said, grinning.
That’s because daughter Vivian kept reaching up and grabbing the brake handle on dad’s bike as she rode alongside.
“Yeah, what’s that about?” Erick Roskos wanted to know.
Vivian said she did it to keep the old man sharp on the course.
In the meantime, she’s sharp on her career goals. When she grows up, the South Middle eighth-grader wants to be an animal rescuer, writer and explorer — in that order.
“You can use your bike for all three,” her dad said.
In the meantime, Harmening is holding a clinic on the basics of mountain biking from noon-3 p.m. Saturday in the South Middle parking lot. Info: 724-454-3876 or morgantownmtb@gmail.com.
