Created in effort to attract more people to mountain biking, the NORBA Sunday Morning Fun Rides offer recreational and competitive mountain bikers of all abilities and ages: beginner, expert, parents, kids, families, etc.

"It's nice to get out there and get to know the riders," said Team Koulius Zaard rider Audrey Augustin. "We want to get them involved and let them know we are approachable..."

"There's a whole group of people out there who are interested in mountain biking but may be intimidated by racing," says NORBA Director of Competition Eric Moore. "The NORBA Sunday Morning Fun Rides allow those riders to have fun at their own pace, while checking out some of the nation's best mountain bike trails. Our goal is to increase rider participation in the sport of mountain biking, and we think we're on the right track with these fun rides."

The sport's top pro riders lead each fun ride, teaching proper riding techniques and sharing the excitement of the sport. International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) staff members also go along for the ride, sharing trail advocacy and maintenance tips.

"IMBA wants to be involved with fun rides so that we can let people know that we're not just all about trail work," says Kevin Stein of IMBA member services. "We promote saving trails, but we're also about having fun and riding."

Once fun riders congregate at the trailhead, smaller groups are created so that participants can experience the best riding situation, whether it's by ability or gender. Riders can choose which group they want to ride with. Team Koulius Zaard, an all-women's pro mountain bike team, leads a women's-only ride.

"It's nice to get out there and get to know the riders," said Team Koulius Zaard rider Audrey Augustin. "We want to get them involved and let them know we are approachable. We gave them tips on how to ride different sections. It was a lot of fun and really successful."

Among the pro stars helping out at the Mount Snow fun ride were Gina Hall and Augustin of the Koulius Zaard team. Gary Fisher-SAAB rider Pezzo was joined by her teammates, including current Short-Track leader Pavel Tcherkassov, World Cup race winner Mary Grigson, Mount Snow Cross-Country winner Chrissy Redden and Vermont favorite Andy Bishop. Shonny Vanlandingham and other SoBe/HeadShok riders also joined in the fun.

"It was a lot of fun," said Harley Erickson, a 32-year-old rider from Framingham, MA. "I was going to leave this morning, but I'm glad I stayed for the ride. It was great to ride the nice Vermont trails and we got tips on technical stuff. It was great to be able to talk to the pros. They are really friendly."

The rides take place Sunday from 10am until noon at each Chevy Trucks NORBA National Championship Series event. The terrain is easy to moderately difficult, with a distance of 10 to 15 miles. Socks, T-shirts and other free stuff is included in the registration fee, which varies from site to site.

— Ari Cheren, MountainZone.com Correspondent