Summer 2019 Trek Service Course

This summer Trek Bikes is offering their Trek Certified Assembly Technician 101 course for NICA student-athletes and coaches. The course is designed to educate student-athletes to perform bicycle maintenance on their own. Skills learned through this course will empower student-athletes to gain confidence with equipment operations and save time and money by completing maintenance themselves.

Beaumont High School Team Honored for Trail Advocacy

Beaumont High School Mountain Bike Team with the SoCal League was honored at the 2019 California Trails and Greenways Conference with a Merit Award for their trail advocacy and stewardship efforts at their local Bogart Park. The team has been working since 2015 to make Bogart Park a better place for all its users.

Equity in the Athletic Community

NICA is committed committed to fair treatment, equal access, opportunity, advancement and elimination of barriers to encourage participation for all. We are fortunate to have two members on our Board of Directors who are also extremely dedicated to improving equity in the athletic community. Susan Helm-Murtagh is NICA’s Board Chairperson and Julia German is a Board Member and Chairperson for the Rules Committee. Susan and Julia are also are two driving forces behind The Athletes’ Coalition (TAC), which is a non-profit that was developed in response to the pay game and other issues surround equity in the ultra-running community.

Reflections on an Inaugural NICA Season

It’s no easy task to find a NICA league and successfully complete an inaugural race season. We are thrilled to have seen three new leagues successfully launch this fall. We caught up with our no longer rookie league directors of West Virginia, Maryland, and Oregon to find out their take on their inaugural seasons!

Elite Development Programs Provide Opportunities for NICA Student-Athletes

We all love mountain biking, and for some of our student-athletes, one of the best parts of mountain biking is the thrill of competition at the highest level combined with the camaraderie of being part of a successful team. NICA is changing the shape of youth cycling across the United States, and elite development programs like the Bear Development Team are working with NICA student-athletes to help them compete at the elite level both nationally and internationally.

Get to Know your NICA Volunteers!

Ever wonder how a NICA race comes together? How do tranquil trails and empty fields become transformed into an exciting race course and energy-filled pit-zone? Well in addition to student-athletes, coaches and parents, NICA races are supported by over 10,000 volunteers nationwide! Volunteers serve as everything from race announcers to course setters, to sweeps to photographers and NICA races would not happen without the efforts of these talented individuals.

2018 National Conference a HUGE Success!

Last month NICA hosted its annual conference in Bentonville, Arkansas. This year’s event brought over 150 leaders together from 22 states and regions to strategize, connect and continue to expand NICA’s efforts to promote youth development through mountain biking across the United States.

Catch up with Paula – A Mom and a Coach!

As we celebrate ALL our parents this spring – we wanted to give a special shout out to the parents of NICA student-athletes who also volunteer as coaches! Meet Paula, aka “Team Mom” or “Momma Bear.” Paula’s 13-year old son found a passion for mountain biking last year when he joined the Phoenix Trailblazers with the North Carolina League. We caught up with Paula to find out how her son’s passion helped her find her own passion for mountain biking and how she went from sitting in the parking lot during practice to being a NICA Coach!

Do You Remember Your First Leaders Summit?

West Virginia and Maryland hosted their inaugural Leader’s Summits this March. These benchmark events represent the culmination of months of dedicated hard work by their League Directors and core staff in parallel with national staff.