As she fixed her helmet and hopped on her bike for a 15-mile spin last weekend, no one could have guessed that 11-year-old Elizabeth Estrella learned how to ride only in September.
Elizabeth is one of 16 participants who is part of this year's Jr. El Tour program, which trains children ages 11 to 14 to ride bicycles and rewards them with a bike of their own if they complete the program.
"The hardest part was the balance. Starting off and balancing were my two troubles," Elizabeth said. "I fell off twice. One time on rocks. The other time on a dirt hill. It discouraged me a little but then after a while I felt more confident."
It's the fourth year of the program, which relies on private sponsorship.
The next step is expansion. Program leaders want to take the Jr. El Tour to local schools, starting with one pilot school.
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Organizers also hope the program will become a model for other communities.
"Sixteen (kids) a year is great, but we'd like to reach more," program coordinator Cyndi Wallace said. "We're trying to find funding because we've been getting calls from schools as to how we can set this up."
The Jr. El Tour encourages participation from children who are underactive, from low-income families, struggling with their weight or at risk for health problems. The aim is inspiring them to adopt healthy habits and perhaps foster a lifelong love of cycling.
Among the many local contributors to Jr. El Tour are the Perimeter Bicycling Association of America, TriSports.com, the Zuckerman Family Foundation, Bookmans, Nourishing Results and Purple Cow Creative.
Wallace is hoping for another funding source, such as Pima County's nearly $16 million two-year federal grant for obesity prevention. So far, nothing has been secured.
Jr. El Tour program director Scott Blanchard of Pyramid Coaching says the 12-week program has unquestionable and visible results. He designed the Jr. El Tour along with John Woolf to include before and after fitness testing. The program requires a three-day-per-week commitment.
The program culminated when the group rode the 40-mile portion of the annual El Tour de Tucson bicycle ride last month. Wind gusts of up to 30 mph during this year's event made the ride particularly tough.
"They decreased their run times for the one-mile run, some of them by 50 percent," Blanchard said. "Two couldn't ride when we started and they all finished the 40 miles. It's remarkable. Kids improve so quickly."
Elizabeth and other participants are now in a follow-up Jr. El Tour program through March. If they complete nine of 12 group rides, they'll be allowed to keep all their cycling equipment, including a bike, a helmet, a jersey and cycling shorts.
"I was an all-right cyclist. I improved a lot," said 11-year-old Austin Simonson, a sixth-grade student at Centennial Elementary School. "I know how to change gears better now."
Austin said his time for the one-mile run went from 12 minutes to 9 minutes and 55 seconds.
"For Christmas I made my dad a scrapbook of before and after the race. I put a picture of myself next to my bike and beside it I wrote 'awesome bike.' "
As the children continue to grow, TriSports.com has offered trade-in bikes to match the body size of successful Jr. El Tour graduates until they reach age 18.
Elizabeth, a sixth-grade student at Dodge Middle School, said riding El Tour was a high point, even though the wind was "non-stop."
"It was a joy accomplishing it," she said. "It was all at once amazing, wordless - just, wow."
