Race Weekends

Pre-Rides
These begin Saturdays @12 and allow riders to become familiar with the course. These rides also allow coaches to prep riders for the unique challenges each course presents. Only coaches and athletes are allowed on the courses, so if you love riding, consider joining us as a coach!

Team Building & Dinner
Saturday evenings are used for team building. We often gather at a team campsite for dinner together and hanging out around a fire. The whole family is welcome at these events! You can choose to camp with us or stay in a local hotel or airbnb.

Note: For the safety of our athletes and coaches, transportation and lodging are the responsibility of each family. NICA coaches are not allowed to transport riders to and from these events or provide lodging. 

Pit Zone is where our athletes, coaches, and families gather through out the race weekend. This is where athletes check-in, get their race plates, do bike checks, get fueled up before and after a race, refill water bottles, park their bike, and hanging out between events.

Team Breakfast
We often have team breakfast available at the team campsite the morning of the race.

AM Pre-Ride
If your student athlete is unable to make it to Saturday pre-rides, there is an early morning pre-ride available @7:30 AM before racing begins. 

Race Categories
NICA divides racers into categories by not only grade level but skill level too. This makes for a lot of start times, but is really beneficial to the kids racing. Kids can move from one category to the next as they progress. Coaches will use prior race times to determine where kids fit best.   

High School Boys Varsity kicks of the race morning @9AM.
The final 6th grade heat starts @2PM.

Racing
High school athletes race 2-3 laps or 8-15 miles depending on their level while middle school athletes only race 1-2 laps or 4-10 miles. For multi-loop riders, NICA offers "feed stations" where riders can get fresh water bottles and power snacks.

You will always be able to see the start and finish of races, but there will be times riders are deep in to wooded areas that are less accessible. To make sure athletes remain safe in these areas, NICA has volunteers posted through out the course with walkies. 

Festival Feel & Food Trucks
Expect a festival feel the day of the race. There will be music, an MC, tents, and other activities. Food trucks are available the day of the race for lunch, too! Sometimes there is even a glorious breakfast truck with delicious coffee and pastries to fuel your morning!

Award Ceremony
After the final racers finish, everyone kicks in to clean-up the course and Pit Zone, and then the award ceremony is held. 1st - 5th place podium in each category, and the whole ceremony is generally finished by 4pm.