Skip to content

GAME OF THE MONTH

CHASE THE RABBIT

An awesome part about NICA is the opportunity for student-athletes of all skill levels to ride together as a team. This game is designed to give groups of mixed abilities a chance to have some fun while honing skills. 

Where: Grassy field, or for more confident riders, a straight open dirt fire road (maybe one that mimics the start of a specific race). 

Objective: I can build timing and coordination skills. I can ride with different teammates. I can have fun.

Setup: Cones or a similar marker needed for a start line and finish line. Start and finish can be approximately 100 – 150 yards apart.

Rules: The goal is for any rider to “catch” the Rabbit (rider’s front wheel leading the Rabbit’s front wheel) before the finish line.

  • Designate one rider as the Rabbit.
  • All riders except for the Rabbit line up at the start line. 
  • The Rabbit is placed a specific distance ahead of the other riders’ start line – this is the Rabbit’s head start.. 
    • From a coach’s perspective, the Rabbit should be given a head start appropriate so that all riders have a fair chance of catching the Rabbit.
      • For riders of similar abilities, this might be a ~2 bike length head start. 
      • For groups that have a wider array of abilities, this could be 5-7 bike lengths. 
      • Coaches can be the Rabbit too!
  • Riders should select a gear appropriate for the terrain and their speed, and get in their starting position..
  • On “GO”, all riders (including the Rabbit) sprint toward the finish line.
  • If a rider “catches” the Rabbit before the finish, they then become the rabbit.
  • If riders do not catch the Rabbit, the Rabbit can remain the Rabbit, but coaches should reduce the head start.

OTB 101 Skills: Bike body separation, shifting, cornering,

OTB 201 Skills: Cornering

 

This post is intentionally simple in its design so that it is easy to print and take to your next NICA practice!

This resource is intended for use by licensed NICA coaches.
Copyrighted material or other National Interscholastic Cycling Association content may not be distributed, downloaded, uploaded, modified, reused, reproduced, reposted, retransmitted, disseminated, sold, published, broadcast, circulated or otherwise used in any manner whatsoever without express written permission from the National Interscholastic Cycling Association. Any modification of the content, or any portion thereof, or use of the content for any other purpose constitutes an infringement of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association’s copyrights and other proprietary rights.

Click to see more NICA games at The Trailhead!

In addition to our growing library of games here on The Trailhead, NICA’s entire collection of on- and off-the-bike games are available in full PDF form in the NICA Coach Resources. To access the coach resources, log into Pit Zone and click the “Courses, Resources, & Benefits” button. Use the resource links on the dashboard, or the search function at the top of the screen.