When a professional bike race rolls into town, it’s not that unusual for teams to visit local schools to talk to children about cycling and encourage them to attend the upcoming races and/or compete in the kids’ race. It’s a bit more unusual, though, for them to offer free helmets to 50 children.

Carmen D’Aluisio, former national criterium champion and Aaron’s team director, said that their title sponsor, Aaron’s Corporate Furnishings, wants to give back to the communities where they race. The team will speak at 10 schools in race cities this season, and besides talking to children about bike safety, nutrition, and racing, they will encourage the children to come out to try the local kids’ race, with the promise that the first 50 registered will receive a free Specialized helmet purchased by Aaron’s Corporate Furnishings.

On Friday, D’Aluisio and five Aaron’s riders rode onto the playground of Rocky Hill Elementary School in Exeter, California, which hosted the start of Saturday’s Yokohl Ranch Exeter Time Trial, the first day of the two-day Sequoia Cycling Classic.

Third- through fifth-graders previously engaged in a variety of playground games stopped what they were doing to gaze curiously at spandex-clad Katharine Carroll, Erica Allar, Meredith Miller, Carmen McNellis, and Kristin Sanders as they lined up in front of music-blaring speakers to prepare to speak.

The team and its fans.

Photo: Kathie Reid

Apparently the kids noticed more than the team’s kits — one of the first questions aimed at Carroll, last year’s Athens Twilight Criterium winner, was, “Is that a tattoo on your leg?” Carroll good-naturedly answered, “Yes, it is,” and then invited the children to ask more questions — about bikes and racing.

They complied, asking about sponsors, racing in extreme weather, if any of the women knew any bike tricks (Allar, who began her bike career on the track, showed them a bike stand), how they communicate during races, whether their shoes are comfortable (Carroll passed hers around so the children could see for themselves — a few even snuck a sniff), and their fastest speed on the bike (Carroll reported hers was 61 mph).

Two fifth-graders, Savannah Butler and Emily Johnson, were both surprised to see a women’s race team. They have been studying Lance Armstrong, but they did not know there’s a famous female Armstrong racer, too — Kristin Armstrong (Cervelo-Life Force) — until D’Aluisio informed them.

Ten-year-old Butler said, “I thought it was just guys,” and she thought it was “awesome” and “really cool” that women race and “click their feet onto the pedals.” Both she and Johnson planned to attend Sunday’s criterium, and said they wouldn’t have gone if they hadn’t heard about it from the team.

The racers agreed that they have a rare opportunity to influence kids — and especially girls — during these school visits.

Rock stars!

Photo: Kathie Reid

“In my career, I’ve had some pretty neat people as role models,” Sanders, 2007 master’s national champion, said. “I feel like this is my opportunity to have that impact on other people and kinda give back what I have.”

The children treated the racers like rock stars, clambering after them once they’d finished speaking, and asking the riders to sign their arms — and even a forehead.

“Just to see the excitement that they’re showing about us being here, wanting us to sign their skin!” Miller explained. “It’s exciting to know that they’re interested in it. And it’s nice, because I think we all have a lot to give back, and to give something to kids at such at an early age is nice.”