Our History

How It All Started

Introducing Clipped In for Life

Our journey began as a home operation, putting on races with a 2002 Ford Explorer and a 4×6 cargo trailer. Three years later, the Clipped In Races brand evolved with a simple purpose: We’re passionate about putting on high quality events that bring the community together. As we’ve added more to our plate with 40+ events in a year, a warehouse/office space, small paid staff team, and an incredibly dedicated volunteer crew, that purpose has grown.

We try and approach what we do with an attitude of service, with our main goal being to create a place for people to challenge themselves through competition and connect with others through shared experience. We bring this same attitude to our partnerships with other organizations to help make their events better for the community by offering registration, timing and equipment rental services. We put a focus on providing unique and fun opportunities for junior racers that not only give them a place to achieve but find social connection around bikes that can offer a lifelong outlet.

Our role in the community extends beyond races with projects such as the creation of the El Dorado Hills Bike Park, establishment of an El Dorado County Trails organization (the Mother Lode Trail Stewardship), hours of trail building with other stewardship groups, and even down to the level of repainting strider bikes for a local pre-school.

With all this in our pocket – and the desire to do even more – we reached the conclusion that it makes sense for Clipped In Races to become a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Clipped In for Life, to truly make what we do bigger than ourselves and lay the groundwork to perpetually provide community benefit through events and youth programing. And so, in 2020, we formally established Clipped In for Life.

Clipped In for Life’s mission is to create opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to find achievement, adventure, and connection through cycling – thus, helping improve lives and bring communities together.

Clipped In for Life believes a lifelong connection to bicycles improves lives and strengthens communities.

We design events that motivate and inspire people who have already integrated bikes into their lives, and we make big impacts in our community by designing youth cycling programs that take place at school, after school, and on break. Kids in our programs build confidence, perseverance, and independence by discovering that riding a bike is a life-long adventure full of excitement, freedom, perspective, purpose, friendships, and belonging.

Clipped In for Life programs challenge mental and physical abilities in a way that is welcoming and encouraging without being overwhelming. Not only do our bicycle races welcome riders and volunteers of all levels and stages of life who seek adventure, achievement and connection, the races help generate funds to sustain our youth programs.

Our vision is to bring cycling from the fringe to the forefront of our culture by designing a clear pathway from learning to ride to riding for life.

Thank you for being here, and for believing in what we do.

With gratitude,

Clint and Jennifer Claassen
Clipped In for Life Co-Founders