Your Local NICA Team Could Use Your Help to Get More Kids on Bikes

The East Bay is home to a number of NICA (National Interscholastic Cycling Association) teams that all race as part of NICA’s NorCal League. NICA was established in 2009 and is built on a foundation of building strong minds, bodies, characters and communities through mountain bike racing, adventure riding, trail work, community outreach, and scholarship programs for high school and middle school students. NICA teams practice several times each week during a season that runs from December through May each year, and the NorCal League puts on four races plus a championship race during that season.

Check out this video from Pedal Born Pictures to get a sense of the atmosphere at a NICA race (this video is a few years old, but watch for a few familiar faces):

BTCEB allocates some financial support each year to local NICA teams and invites students and coaches from those teams to participate in BTCEB’s trail work days. Here are some other opportunities for our mountain bike community to support these teams:

Become a coach

Teams are almost always looking for more coaches. NICA has strong coach education and support programs: you’ll learn mountain bike skills (and how to teach them!), but also coaching philosophy, risk management, wilderness first aid, and will learn to give positive, supportive feedback. If you have time and are so inclined, consider becoming a coach with a local team.

Donate your old bikes, gear and kit

Most teams maintain a collection of loaner bikes that student athletes can use for the season if they don’t have a bike of their own. Loaner bikes don’t need to be newest bikes out there, but they do need to be in reliable mechanical condition and have disc brakes. Your donated bike could enable students who doesn’t have bikes of their own to participate and learn about mountain biking for years. Loaner bikes can also be important for coaches — many coaches are parents who have ridden road bikes but may be new to mountain biking. In addition to bikes, donations of spare parts, wheels, cycling shoes, cycling clothing, and sunglasses may be useful to NICA teams. Check with a particular team to see what their specific needs are.

Volunteer at NorCal races

Volunteers help with course marshalling, timing, course setup and take-down at NorCal races. Teams provide volunteers at each race, and there’s always room for more volunteers at each race. Try it out and, if you love it, consider joining NorCal’s race crew!

Here is this season’s NorCal race calendar:

Race venue	Central/East Bay Regions	Redwood/Repack Regions
Race 1: Fort Ord (East Garrison)	Saturday, 2/28	Saturday, 2/21
Race 2: Exchequer (La Grange)	Saturday, 3/14	Saturday, 3/21
Race 3: Six Sigma (Lower Lake)	Sunday, 4/12	Saturday, 4/11
Race 4: Stafford Lake (Novato)	Saturday, 4/25	Saturday, 5/2
Champs Weekend: Six Sigma (Lower Lake)	DEVO championships: Saturday, 5/16	High school championships: Sunday, 5/17

Races 1 and 2 have already happened, but the upcoming races at Six Sigma Winery in Lower Lake and our “local” course at Stafford Lake in Novato are always so much fun!

Find a local team

NorCal also has a map of NICA teams on their website, but here’s a list of East Bay teams with links to their websites or Instagram pages so you can check them out and find a team near you:

We cheer for everyone at NICA races. You can share in that by cheer for these teams when you see them riding in your local park. Or, better yet, go ride with them and share your love of mountain biking with the next generation of trail stewards and advocates.

Scott Bartlebaugh, Advocacy Director

Brian Glueck, Communications Director (and Skyline Coach)

Your Local NICA Team Could Use Your Help to Get More Kids on Bikes

Become a coach

Donate your old bikes, gear and kit

Volunteer at NorCal races

Find a local team

Alameda County

Conta Costa County

Solano County

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