You’re riding along your favorite trail and see a group of hikers up ahead. The trail is fairly narrow with little room to pass. Do you know who yields the trail? What if these hikers were actually equestrians riding horses? Do you know what to do when you approach horseback riders? What about other mountain bikers? Who has the right of way on the trail?
Combine bike skills, tag, and rock paper scissors in one amazingly intergalactic game.
Our national rules committee revisits the NICA handbook twice annually. The latest update features minor changes around concussion protocol.
As coaches, it’s our responsibility to know and understand our athlete’s skill levels before bringing them to singletrack trails each season. We all know how awesome it is to ride trails – and it is SO exciting to share that joy and experience with our student-athletes. That said, the beginning of the season is a critical time for revisiting (or, in the case of new athletes, introducing) the fundamental skills of mountain biking…
Creating ride groups that match the ability, goals, and social needs of your student-athletes can be a challenge – here are some tips and strategies!
Share this template letter with your teams to ensure riders know what is expected before their first practice.
Hello, My name is Billy Calkins. I’m a NICA coach…and I love Ted Lasso. I would say I am a hardcore fan of the show, but the reality is that the show became so much more than a show for me: Ted Lasso has, hands down, changed my life…
Many of us have a favorite coach, teacher, or other influential adult from our youth who was able to connect with us and provided support to help us grow. At the same time, it’s all too common to recall at least one coach who was far from a favorite…
PLUS: A printable ABCDE handout for your student-athletes! Check out NICA’s best practices for creating an enjoyable ride by starting with a functional and safe bike.
At the end of each NICA season we send out a survey to all coaches, parents, and student-athletes. The 2022 fall end of season survey had some interesting results that can help inform our coaching.
One of the most impressive results from the survey was that 97% of student-athletes reported that…