Program Info
Our program is age based first and foremost, and we ask that folks please respect the age groups that we have set up and DO NOT REGISTER YOUR CHILD FOR A GROUP OUTSIDE OF THEIR AGE unless given specific permission from FLYRS to do so (rare). The age groups set up are centered around a certain philosophy, experience, proper progression, group management, dynamic, and cohesion framework. When we get outside of this, then it really challenges the experience we are trying to create and the success of each rider, coach, and group as a whole.
FLYRS groups are age-based following a proven model to ensure the most positive experience for every child. Participating in an age-based all inclusive program with your peers that enjoy riding facilitates team bonding, friendships, independence, and risk taking. A natural extension of this is developing mountain biking skills and fitness that results in a successful rider. Our coaches are trained to challenge each individual rider at their individual level within their appropriate age-based group in a team environment.
Junior FLYRS Groups (2 years old - 5th grade)
Push bikers: This is a group for kiddos on push bikes ages 2.5 - 4 years old. These groups meet for one hour per week and focus on getting kids out on the trails in a team environment and having fun. Coaches will teach basic skills of starting and stopping, proper balancing, and trail etiquette. Coaches will teach a component of independence at practice. Parents are encouraged not to attend practices with their rider. Please communicate any special needs with your coach prior to practice if this is your child’s first experience being left without a parent.
4-6 year old groups: These groups are for 4-6 year old kids who are riding pedal bikes without training wheels, but who are not yet in 1st grade. Kids will focus on some basic skills, games, and short, easy trail rides. These groups are NOT appropriate for children who do not already know how to ride a bike independently.
Kids should be:
1st-2nd grade: This group is for kids in 1st-2nd grade at the start of the season. Kids will focus on bike games, developing basic bike handling skills, and short trail rides of around 3 miles each week. This group focuses on improving children’s confidence riding on bumpy dirt trails and on gentle hills. This group is NOT appropriate for children who do not already know how to ride a bike independently.
Kids in the 1st-2nd grade group should be:
2nd-3rd grade: This group is for kids in 2nd-3rd grade at the start of the season who are confident riding more miles on dirt trails. We will focus on gaining confidence on more challenging technical trails with some elevation change.
3rd-5th Grade: This group is for kids in 3rd-5th grade at the start of the season. This is for 3rd-5th grade beginner-intermediate riders. Requirements for this group are: confident on dirt trails, utilize proper body position on bike, confident braking, a bike with gears, and a bike with front and rear brakes. Wheel size of 24 inches or larger is recommended.
3rd-5th Grade Intermediate: This group is for kids in 3rd-5th grade at the start of the season. Kids in this group should be interested in riding more miles, exploring more technical terrain with some elevation change, and working on advanced skills.
3rd - 5th Grade Advanced: This group is best for kids in the 3rd-5th grade at the start of the season who are confident riding 10+ miles on single track trails. Kids younger than 3rd grade are not permitted to ride in this group and we reserve the right to cancel registrations where that takes place. This group is for the kids who have excelled in previous FLYRS groups and taken a special interest in riding outside of FLYRS resulting in a strong, confident, and skilled rider. We will focus on more advanced bike handling skills, gaining confidence on more challenging trails with big elevation changes consisting of longer sustained climbs and descents, and at a faster pace. If you are unsure about placing your child in this group, please contact Tyler Nelson at tyler@flyrsaz.com.
Kids in the advanced group should be:
FLYRS groups are age-based following a proven model to ensure the most positive experience for every child. Participating in an age-based all inclusive program with your peers that enjoy riding facilitates team bonding, friendships, independence, and risk taking. A natural extension of this is developing mountain biking skills and fitness that results in a successful rider. Our coaches are trained to challenge each individual rider at their individual level within their appropriate age-based group in a team environment.
Junior FLYRS Groups (2 years old - 5th grade)
Push bikers: This is a group for kiddos on push bikes ages 2.5 - 4 years old. These groups meet for one hour per week and focus on getting kids out on the trails in a team environment and having fun. Coaches will teach basic skills of starting and stopping, proper balancing, and trail etiquette. Coaches will teach a component of independence at practice. Parents are encouraged not to attend practices with their rider. Please communicate any special needs with your coach prior to practice if this is your child’s first experience being left without a parent.
4-6 year old groups: These groups are for 4-6 year old kids who are riding pedal bikes without training wheels, but who are not yet in 1st grade. Kids will focus on some basic skills, games, and short, easy trail rides. These groups are NOT appropriate for children who do not already know how to ride a bike independently.
Kids should be:
- Confident on a pedal bike (no training wheels)
- Able to start and stop on their own
- Coaster or hand brakes
- Able to ride on dirt trails
1st-2nd grade: This group is for kids in 1st-2nd grade at the start of the season. Kids will focus on bike games, developing basic bike handling skills, and short trail rides of around 3 miles each week. This group focuses on improving children’s confidence riding on bumpy dirt trails and on gentle hills. This group is NOT appropriate for children who do not already know how to ride a bike independently.
Kids in the 1st-2nd grade group should be:
- Able to start and stop on their own
- Hand brakes highly encouraged
- Able to ride on dirt trails
2nd-3rd grade: This group is for kids in 2nd-3rd grade at the start of the season who are confident riding more miles on dirt trails. We will focus on gaining confidence on more challenging technical trails with some elevation change.
- Kids in the 2nd-3rd grade group should be:
- Confident with attack position (level pedals with feet equally weighted on each)
- Confident braking with both brakes smoothly and evenly
- Able to change gears while pedaling
- Beginning to stand while climbing
- On a bike with gears, front and rear brakes
3rd-5th Grade: This group is for kids in 3rd-5th grade at the start of the season. This is for 3rd-5th grade beginner-intermediate riders. Requirements for this group are: confident on dirt trails, utilize proper body position on bike, confident braking, a bike with gears, and a bike with front and rear brakes. Wheel size of 24 inches or larger is recommended.
3rd-5th Grade Intermediate: This group is for kids in 3rd-5th grade at the start of the season. Kids in this group should be interested in riding more miles, exploring more technical terrain with some elevation change, and working on advanced skills.
- Kids in the intermediate group should be:
- Confident with attack position (level pedals with feet equally weighted on each)
- Confident braking with both brakes smoothly and evenly
- Able to change gears while pedaling
- Able to stand while climbing
- On a bike with a wheel size of 24 inches or larger (required)
3rd - 5th Grade Advanced: This group is best for kids in the 3rd-5th grade at the start of the season who are confident riding 10+ miles on single track trails. Kids younger than 3rd grade are not permitted to ride in this group and we reserve the right to cancel registrations where that takes place. This group is for the kids who have excelled in previous FLYRS groups and taken a special interest in riding outside of FLYRS resulting in a strong, confident, and skilled rider. We will focus on more advanced bike handling skills, gaining confidence on more challenging trails with big elevation changes consisting of longer sustained climbs and descents, and at a faster pace. If you are unsure about placing your child in this group, please contact Tyler Nelson at tyler@flyrsaz.com.
Kids in the advanced group should be:
- Confident in attack/ready position
- Braking correctly and efficiently at high speeds
- Confident standing while climbing over steep and technical terrain
- Smoothly and efficiently changing gears while pedaling and consistently selecting the appropriate gear for the terrain
- Comfortable on intermediate and advanced trails with a faster pace and less stopping
- Fit and skilled to ride trails with big elevation changes consisting of sustained climbs and descents
- On a bike with wheel size of 26 inches or larger (preferred with minimum 24" required)
- Girls ONLY: While most FLYRS groups are co-ed, and we encourage all children to register in whichever group is the best fit for them based on age and skill level. However, we’ve found that some girls are able to build confidence and comraderie more readily in a girls-only group, so this group is a mixed-ability group for girls who prefer to ride only with other girls.
Upper Level Groups (Middle School - High School)
9th-12 Grade Advanced Group with Coach Dustin Phillips - This group is geared towards competitive riders who are interested in exploring more structured training. The goal of this group is to prepare riders for the racing season and beyond. Please note this is an advanced group for high school aged riders.
9th-12th Grade: High School group which will be split into groups (similar to Middle School) depending on rider preferences, goals, and group size.
FLYRS Enduro with Coach Nick Nation: Another new group for the spring season is FLYRS Enduro for 6th-12th graders on Thursdays. This group is for intermediate to advanced riders currently in Middle - High School wanting to focus on the Enduro side of mountain biking. This group will focus on strong uphill pushes to get to ripping descents. There will be a particular focus on advanced maneuvers to utilize on technical terrain.
In this group riders will: develop the necessary skills to navigate gravity oriented trails in a safe and controlled manner, build the strength and stamina to access the most demanding descents under one’s own power, learn the trail etiquette associated with riding trails that have a bias towards descending, learn mechanical knowledge that can give our riders the best riding experience possible, and have fun while pushing individual limits.
Gear required: capable, well maintained mountain bike preferably featuring hydraulic disc brakes, tubeless tires, and 1x drivetrains. Full suspension bikes are preferred but not required, adequate protective gear consisting of either full-face or half-shell helmets featuring at least one of the following certifications (please see your local bike shop if you are unsure of certification): CPSC, CE-EN1078, AS/NZS-2063, ASTM. Knee pads will also be required.
6th – 8th grade: In Spring we offer a 7 week session for middle schoolers split up between boys and girls groups. These groups welcome all abilities and are a great way to build community within your riding peers, increase skills, and increase fitness for the coming race season depending on your goals.
Skills groups will focus more on skills, drills, sessioning trails, lines, and shorter focused rides.
Chill groups fall somewhere in the middle of the two because, well, they’re just chill. This group may do some skills, ride a bit more, or not, and throw in some fun stuff.
9th-12 Grade Advanced Group with Coach Dustin Phillips - This group is geared towards competitive riders who are interested in exploring more structured training. The goal of this group is to prepare riders for the racing season and beyond. Please note this is an advanced group for high school aged riders.
9th-12th Grade: High School group which will be split into groups (similar to Middle School) depending on rider preferences, goals, and group size.
FLYRS Enduro with Coach Nick Nation: Another new group for the spring season is FLYRS Enduro for 6th-12th graders on Thursdays. This group is for intermediate to advanced riders currently in Middle - High School wanting to focus on the Enduro side of mountain biking. This group will focus on strong uphill pushes to get to ripping descents. There will be a particular focus on advanced maneuvers to utilize on technical terrain.
In this group riders will: develop the necessary skills to navigate gravity oriented trails in a safe and controlled manner, build the strength and stamina to access the most demanding descents under one’s own power, learn the trail etiquette associated with riding trails that have a bias towards descending, learn mechanical knowledge that can give our riders the best riding experience possible, and have fun while pushing individual limits.
Gear required: capable, well maintained mountain bike preferably featuring hydraulic disc brakes, tubeless tires, and 1x drivetrains. Full suspension bikes are preferred but not required, adequate protective gear consisting of either full-face or half-shell helmets featuring at least one of the following certifications (please see your local bike shop if you are unsure of certification): CPSC, CE-EN1078, AS/NZS-2063, ASTM. Knee pads will also be required.
6th – 8th grade: In Spring we offer a 7 week session for middle schoolers split up between boys and girls groups. These groups welcome all abilities and are a great way to build community within your riding peers, increase skills, and increase fitness for the coming race season depending on your goals.
- New for 2021 - The Middle School boys will be split into three groups - skill, chill, and earn your meal groups. Riders will have the option to join the group based on rider preferences and/or particular goals they are focused on.
Skills groups will focus more on skills, drills, sessioning trails, lines, and shorter focused rides.
Chill groups fall somewhere in the middle of the two because, well, they’re just chill. This group may do some skills, ride a bit more, or not, and throw in some fun stuff.
- Our fall middle school session is the AICL composite team. Kids can join if they are either just interested in weekly practices and/or they want to go to the AICL middle school races with the team. The composite team practices 2 times a week from July through November with 5 races starting September 9 through November 4. For more information please see our Middle School Composite Team page.
All FLYRS groups are led by a head and assistant coach who are trained in the FLYRS approach, first aid and CPR certified, and have passed a background check. We believe that coaches should enjoy working with kids, have expertise in mountain biking skills, trail etiquette, and best teaching practices, so we hire coaches who possess this requisite knowledge. Our groups meet at different locations as we progress through the season. Typical locations include Fort Tuthill, Campbell Mesa, and the “Y” off Elden Lookout Road.
FLYRS Session Breakdown
- Fall: Our Fall FLYRS sessions generally run from mid-August through mid-October each year. Each group meets once per week over 7 weeks with a final celebration on week 8. Registration for Fall FLYRS generally opens up in late June, and our groups fill on a first-come, first served basis.
- Spring: Our Spring FLYRS sessions generally run from mid-April through mid-June each year. Each group meets once per week over 7 weeks with a final celebration on week 8. Registration for Spring FLYRS generally opens up in late February, and our groups fill on a first-come, first served basis.
- Summer: Our summer camp programs have been expanding each year. In 2019 we offered two full day week long camps and one half day week long camp in June. In 2020, we offered a 2 day clinic and two half day week long camps. Summer camp registration opens the first week of April and fills quickly so early registration is required to ensure enrollment.
- Middle School Composite Team: The FLYRS Middle School Composite Team offers Flagstaff-based middle school students an opportunity to race in the AICL (Arizona Interscholastic Cycling League) mountain bike races during each Fall. Practice for the middle school composite race group begins in July, and the race season runs from September through early November at locations around the state.