Over the past decade, Lee DeRemer has watched great things happen with Lifecycles. The nonprofit Christ-centered mentoring program aims to build young people of character through bicycling.

"This program appeals to a wide range of young people with different gifts and skills, but it seems to really attract teen boys and girls who haven't found their way in a team sport or another program in school," he said. "For many kids, this is the first thing that clicks, and that's very rewarding."

Lee and his wife, Marcie, started Lifecycles with a mission of supporting youths in the community. "This program always has been and still is 100% free for the boys and girls who participate," Lee said, noting that bikes, helmets and other safety gear are all provided if needed, along with a free hot meal every time the group gets together for a ride.

"This year, we've got 139 boys and girls registered, and 38 of those are first-time participants," he shared. "The bulk of our participants are from Lancaster County, but we have folks from York, Lebanon, Dauphin and Perry counties, too." The program is open to youths ages 12 to 18, and Lifecycles teams are split into boys' and girls' groups. Boys' and girls' teams ride from Riverfront Park, 551 Vinegar Ferry Road, Marietta, on Tuesdays at 5:45 p.m., and boys' and girls' teams also ride from Amos Herr Park, 1700 Nissley Road, Landisville, at 5:45 p.m. on Thursdays.

In addition to the groups enjoying rides around the countryside of Lancaster County, some of the more seasoned participants are training for longer, challenging rides taking place this summer. A girls' team will ride a six-day, 230-mile route along the coast of Lake Michigan, finishing at Mackinac Island. Boys' teams will ride a six-day, 320-mile route from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C., on the Great Allegheny Passage/C&O Canal trail; a six-day, 290-mile route to Niagara Falls; and an eight-day, 350-mile route from northern Pennsylvania through the Adirondack Mountains. A boys' team will also take a 13-day, 430-mile ride in Colorado, finishing with a summit of Mount Blue Sky on North America's highest paved road at 14,271 feet.

"It's going to be a very fun summer," Lee said. "We are also rolling out an internally developed bicycling skills curriculum. We've spent six months writing our own curriculum, and this will help us provide more structure to the cycling skills we teach."

Teams will ride locally during the week through the end of August, and Lifecycles will continue with rides on two Saturdays in both September and October.

Although the season has already started, youths can join the program at any point. Volunteers are also welcome at any time, Lee said.

He noted that as Lifecycles celebrates 10 years of serving youths, he continues to appreciate the impact the program has on its participants.

"It's common for a lot of teens to feel unseen in their school environment," he said. "They are flourishing in Lifecycles."

For more information on Lifecycles, visit http://www.lifecyclesteam.org.