ELKO — Levi Pengelly hadn't taken his bike on the road since before the winter set in. That, paired with mom Viviana Pengelly's concerns about him riding the wild roadways of the Spring Creek area, prompted her to drive to Adobe Middle School in Elko on Friday for the third Nevada Gold Mines Bike Rodeo. Viviana and Levi Pengelly register for the bike rodeo on Friday, June 28, 2024, at Adobe Middle School.
"This is good training to ride a course," she said. "This is our first one, so we're going to check it out." Their first step at the bike rodeo was for Levi to register and be fitted with a safety helmet.
Levi Pengelly's new helmet is fitted precisely by volunteer Ash Thompson of Reno, an NGM metallurgy intern at the Cortez processing facility. Ash Thompson of Reno, an NGM metallurgy intern at the Cortez processing facility, helped Levi with his helmet. He was one of the first to stop by and she made sure the helmet was the right size, then helped tighten the chin strap just right.
"I'd like to see some kids have fun in this beautiful weather," Thompson said. She said it's probably been a few years since she was up on her bicycle, but said she'd probably be able to ride the course the children were traversing at the school's parking lot. She didn't think she'd have a problem.
"It's like riding a bike," she joked. Levi and his mom were early visitors to the event, but dozens of families later followed them along the line of stops for children, getting their own helmets and .
