Winnebago County 4-H, The Bicycle Hub, and the Pecatonica Lions Club are partnering to offer local youth the chance to learn important information about bicycle maintenance, safety and riding skills at the annual Bicycle Rodeo, scheduled for Saturday, June 28, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to noon. The event will once again be held in the 4-H Building at the Winnebago County Fairgrounds in Pecatonica.
This event is offered at no cost for families and the Lions Club will be providing lunch for participants. The Bicycle Hub will be presenting two participants with brand new bikes. “We love the Bicycle Rodeo event every year,” shares Richard Backeberg from the Bicycle Hub. “It is a great way to create community with other bikers in the area, learn the safest ways to ride, and win some prizes! Most of our participants gain a confidence in riding and meet new friends!”
Youth will rotate through 5 stations including a bike check/ pre-trip, rules of the ride, traffic signals, traffic safety and road test. Towards the end of the event, there will be a group ride around the fairgrounds and lunch (hot dog & chips) courtesy of the Pecatonica Lions Club. “The Lions Club has been excited to provide volunteers to help with the stations each year, as well as to provide lunch,” said Bob Squires or the Pecatonica Lions Club.
Two lucky participants will take home a brand-new bike from The Bicycle Hub.
This event is open to any youth ages 5 to 18 years old with a pre-registration required. There is no cost to participate! To register visit http://go.illinois.edu/bikerodeo or by calling the Winnebago County Extension Office at 815-986-4357. The youth bicycle rodeo is a collaboration of University of Illinois Extension- Winnebago County 4-H, The Bicycle Hub, and the Pecatonica Lions Club. The deadline to register is June 25.
University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 700 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through six program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, family and consumer science, integrated health disparities, and natural resources, environment, and energy.