Yuma Bike Club

Youth Division

                    
Syria Zepeda      Primo Yocupicio             Rodrigo Diaz               Walter Lopez 

above photos by Mason Ibas Photography

Contribute to YBC Racing / Team Turning Point:

  2008-2009 Yuma Bike Club-Youth Division

 Our Story:
Team Turning Point was born from a middle school program for "at-risk" kids. The instructor, John, bought some cheap department store mountain bikes and would take kids on short bike rides as part of the therapy and physical education requirements. A year ago some of the boys decided they would like to race, so once again John bought some cheap Schwinn roadbikes and they competed in the Northend Classic and the Tucson Bicycle classic. To everyones surprise, they won!

The intervention class was cut in the recent wave of budget cuts but the cycling program has survived and grown due to the tireless efforts of volunteers and private donations. Today there are 16 junior members and four full time staffers on the team. They have their own training room at Crane Middle school and meet 4-5 days a week and train throughout breaks and vacations.

Due to the contribution of television celebrity Jenny Jones, the team has bought 15 new Specialized road bikes and road gear as well as training equipment. Time Warner Cable also helped by funding our first event in the famous El Tour de Tucson. At this event our riders really showed their dedication. Every rider finished, and Rodrigo Diaz finished first, as a junior and 80th overall, in the 65 mile event with a time of 3hrs. 38min. and an average speed of 18.4 mph! (not bad for a 14 year old.)

The team continues to train and grow and we hope to be able to compete in the LAJORS circuit for 2009. Our kids are getting faster and gaining more experience with every event. For them this has become a lifestyle. They ride on weekends and afterschool often spending 12-13 hours a day at the school. They even continue training through their school breaks, when most kids are playing or sleeping late. They count calories, check heart rate monitors, compare avs, and dream of racing the Alpe d'Huez!   

Click here for Jenny's Heroes page about John McBride  , Team Turning Point and her foundation.

For the 2009 Arizona Tax Credit form to contribute to Team Turning Point at Crane Middle School,  Click Here.