Norte Magic Cycles Through NoMi Biking Program

Accessibility, inclusivity, and opportunities for all ages keep the wheels turning

In its 12 years of existence, Norte Youth Cycling has steadily pedaled towards its mission of championing bikes and community.

Like a bike wheel itself, the Traverse City nonprofit is a sturdy hub of bicycling activities. Its programs are spokes radiating out, supporting an ever-expanding circle of healthy pursuits.

“What we really do is create opportunities and experiences that encourage, educate, and empower riders of all ages and abilities,” says Norte Executive Director Jill Wilson. “We are committed to improving health, safety, and connection, and bicycles are simply the tool we use to make that happen.”

Making Bikes Accessible

Norte’s belief that empowering people to use cycling as a way to stay physically active and socially connected takes a variety of forms, some of which are new, and others that have been around a while.

The most potent and far reaching offering seems to be the Norte Bike Library, featuring hundreds of bicycles anyone can check out just like a library book. The fleet, which includes a variety of bike styles, recently grew by 50, as Traverse City insurer Hagerty not only donated the items, but built and tuned the bikes as well.

“With these additions,” Wilson says, “the Bike Library now includes well over 1,000 bicycles, while annual loans approach 900 each year. The Bike Library also now includes five satellite locations throughout the region, with another likely to be added soon. This expansion helps ensure that children and families who cannot easily travel to Traverse City still have the opportunity to check out a bike. It is a simple idea with a powerful impact on access, independence, and participation.”

According to Wilson, 20- and 24-inch youth bikes, as well as balance bikes for beginning riders, are the most popular Library bikes, underscoring Norte’s kid-friendly approach.

Keeping Norte accessible across local economic strata is a paramount concern for Wilson and her staff. They never want household income precluding anyone’s participation.

“If a child needs a bike or helmet to participate,” she says, “we do everything possible to ensure cost or equipment is never the barrier.”

An Inclusive Environment

In continued efforts to get girls into cycling, Norte hosts the popular More Girls on Bikes initiative across all of its programs.

“We continue to see more girls enrolling, riding, coaching, and leading,” Wilson explains. “When girls see other girls leading with confidence, it changes what they believe is possible. This work is about creating spaces where girls, and truly everyone, feel welcomed, capable, strong, and fully themselves.”

To reach another demographic, this fall a new BikeSMART initiative for second graders will be offered, focusing on basic bike safety.

“The six-lesson series is intentionally designed to support the physical, social, and emotional development of second graders while aligning with Michigan educational standards,” says Wilson. “Students will build bicycle safety skills, confidence, and independence as the program grows and expands.”

Norte’s formula of social inclusiveness, coupled with moderate physical exercise is resonating with our region: the entire operation and all its programs continue to grow.

“Today, we serve more than 4,500 riders each year through Summer Bike Camp, Adventure Bike Club, Mountain Bike Club, Balance Bike programs, Bikes for All, Race Team, and school-based initiatives,” Wilson says. “Demand continues to grow. Summer Bike Camp remains incredibly popular. In 2024, we served 878 campers over 10 weeks. This year, we project more than 1,100 riders will participate. While most camps begin and end at the Grand Traverse County Civic Center, we also offer limited camps in Elk Rapids and Glen Arbor.”

Recently, an offshoot of the program took root even farther to the north as Norte fielded a mountain biking club at Melvin Trails in Topinabee, one of Norte’s most distant school partnerships.

Growing and Rolling

Scaling up such a rapid growth organization has been a welcome challenge, and Wilson is quick to heap praise on all of Norte’s cogs, big and small, without whom little forward progress would occur.

“None of this happens without the incredible community surrounding Norte,” she tells Northern Express. “We are deeply grateful for our coaches, volunteers, staff members, board members, Business Champions, sponsors, and donors who continue to believe in this work and help ensure our programs remain accessible to the families who need them most.”

A host of other community partners support Norte in a variety of other indispensable ways, and Wilson lauded them as well.

“Together,” Wilson says, “these partnerships ensure riders have safe, accessible, preserved, and well-maintained places to ride, build confidence, make friends, and experience the simple joy of being on a bike.”

Those last eight words essentially crystallize the entire Norte philosophy: The simple joy of being on a bike.

“We know that children who move their bodies early and often are more likely to carry healthy habits into adulthood,” Wilson notes. “We also know that physical activity becomes even more meaningful when it happens alongside others. … Young people begin to feel part of something larger than themselves. These experiences improve not only physical health, but mental health as well.

“Unlike many indoor or stationary activities,” she continues, “bicycles connect children directly to their communities. Riding to a local park, the library, a friend’s house, or an ice cream shop creates a sense of independence, direction, and belonging that cannot be replicated indoors. Riders begin to understand and experience their communities in a whole new way.”

Bikes for All

And as we already mentioned, children aren’t Norte’s only focus; they aim to include every willing individual, no matter their ability or skill level.

Wilson says, “Our Bikes for All program is designed to welcome and empower adults with physical or cognitive impairments through adaptive cycling opportunities at our home base, the Grand Traverse County Civic Center.

“These weekly summer meetups are joyful, social, and deeply meaningful. Our adaptive bicycle fleet supports a wide range of riders, and each meetup regularly brings together 20 to 25 participants along with staff, volunteers, caregivers, and family members. Adaptive bicycles are also used during the spring and fall to support students and school groups throughout the region.”

Norte Magic

Wilson watched her own daughters pass through Norte programs, and the fun and excitement they experienced really put the hook in her. Since joining the program’s ranks, her appreciation for the program has only grown, thanks mainly to what she refers to as “Norte magic.”

“These are the small moments,” she explains, “when a friendship forms, confidence grows, or pedaling suddenly clicks for a young rider. Those moments do not stay on the bike. The confidence, skills, friendships, empowerment, and joy follow riders home, into school, and into how they move through the world. That is why I believe in this work so deeply. I watched it unfold in my own two daughters during their years with Norte, and I want to ensure these opportunities and experiences exist for other families for decades to come.”

To learn more, visit norteyouthcycling.org.

View On Our Website