With a whistle of wind through hair kids took to the air and land in the second BikeJam to launch the School Bike League last Friday.

While the hoopla at the West Shore rec centre started the season, thereB次元官网网址檚 still time for schools with riders from grades 6 through 12 to enter a team.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 no entry fee or other requirement and you donB次元官网网址檛 have to ride all nine events,B次元官网网址� said Lister Farrar, SBL race director.

The next nine weeks SBL will cover a variety of venues and nine different kinds of cycling on mostly Tuesday evenings April 9 through June 4.

B次元官网网址淵ou can do six out of the nine on a mountain bike,B次元官网网址� Farrar said. Some venues, like the velodrome at West Shore recreation, include free bike rental while the hills and tracks of North Saanich Free Ride Park are ideal for a mountain bike.

B次元官网网址淭he idea is not only to test kids skills but develop them,B次元官网网址� Farrar said B次元官网网址淭he competitive part is relatively low emphasis... itB次元官网网址檚 really aimed at all levels of kids.B次元官网网址�

The bike league has been around since the 1980s during the mountain biking boom, with a surge in the last three or four years expanding to include the variety of styles.

B次元官网网址淲e all believe that being good at all these different skills carries through into the different aspect of the sport you choose B次元官网网址� thereB次元官网网址檚 lots of crossover when you get to the higher competitive levels,B次元官网网址� Farrar said.

The school must approve an adult supervisor for the team B次元官网网址� which can be a lone rider B次元官网网址�  and email the commissioner esimonson@sd61.bc.ca to confirm participation with name of school and adult. Visit www.schoolbikeleague.com for details.

The bike league is open to any school in Greater Victoria. Participants can earn points for their school toward league championships and  prizes.

SBL is offering a prize of three GoPro cameras this season, divvied into three age groups using top three girls and top three boys scores at the end of the league.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 an incentive to get as many kids from your school out as many times as you can,B次元官网网址� Farrar said.