It happens all the time. A girl puts a foot down on a climb and says “sorry” to the rider behind her. She takes her time sessioning a rock garden and apologizes to the group. She drops back on a long climb and says she’s sorry for slowing everyone down. You don’t hear that nearly as often from the boys.
Did you know your specific role from beginning of practice to end? Or did you and your team just show up and “ride bikes?” While there’s nothing wrong with unstructured time on the bike, that’s something student-athletes can and should be doing on their own.
Hold on to your helmets! This month, we’ve got a double dose of NICA community as we highlight two teams in our Meet the Team feature — Highlands Composite Racing and Ramapo-Indian Hills MTB.
NICA coaches and league directors help shape the future of biking in their communities. This virtual training by PeopleForBikes gives you the tools to advocate for safe, connected, and accessible places to ride. Learn how to support grassroots efforts and use PeopleForBikes’ resources to make a real difference.
Although you’re ready to go as you are, NICA recommends you (and your student-athletes) wear gloves and glasses on your rides. It’s not just to make you look rad, either. Today, we’re teaming up with NICA Partner Rudy Project to explore just how important eye protection is for mountain biking.
Late autumn and early spring are our sport’s “shoulder seasons.” Not too far from winter, they can be unpredictable when it comes to weather. Every coach expects to have to cancel practice now and then, but when early snow or ice closes the trails for a week or two, cabin fever sets in.
Most times you ride, you’re subconsciously assessing yourself based on the people around you. With so much external comparison, it’s easy to get caught up in the expectations of others instead of focusing on your own experience on the bike.
Men play a critical role in creating great environments for girls in sports and for women coaches. Sports are so important to the development of young people and their coaches have a huge influence on that experience. Male coaches can be great coaches of girls and can support and mentor women coaches if they are intentional in three areas of their allyship.
Mike Murphy is this month’s Meet the Coach feature—and a passionate leader helping shape the future of NICA! After retiring from corporate life, Mike found his calling through mountain biking.
Head coach Bree Van Oss started his team, the Tallahassee Thunder, during the pandemic in 2020. He noticed that his local mountain biking scene lacked representation, so he jumped in feet first to bring the NICA mission and values to his community. And thus, a rad team was born!