Gloucester High School students were given the opportunity to train for the mountain bike leg of the school’s annual tri challenge held at the end of term three. Now, in term four, the students are still keen to keep riding.

GHS teacher Rob Seale said 18 students started the training earlier in the year with a goal of being ready for the tri challenge.

“Many have opted to continue riding,” Rob said.

The students continue to take part in mountain bike riding as part of school sport on Friday afternoons. The group is always looking for new places to ride and longer distances to travel, but unfortunately there aren’t a lot of safe cycling options or designated tracks in Gloucester for the students to use.

Rob needs to be fairly creative when trying to get the students between places safely and so far, has had a lot of support from the local police. 

For the students, it’s a great opportunity to do something a little different during the sport period.

“It’s fun and good exercise,” year seven student, Miranda Yates said.

Fellow year seven student, Violet Broadhead thinks that it’s a good way to get more exercise.

“It’d be good to have more bike tracks in town,” Violet added.

This was a sentiment the students agreed on. If there were bike tracks, they’d be able to ride their bikes more often without having to worry about the safety issues with the roads. 

The students finish their ride at Gloucester District Park where they have a cool down before returning to the school at the end of the day. On days when the temperatures are soaring, like on Friday November 2 when the mercury was in the high 30s, the students get a chance to refresh under a sprinkler.

For Rob, it’s a great way to spend the afternoon.

“I’ve got the best group,” he said.