Blog

Madison West Mountain Bike Teams are part of the Wisconsin League of the National Interscholastic Cycling League (NICA). NICA has a very successful and beloved GRiT initiative, which aims to recruit and retain more female-identifying riders and coaches in co-ed NICA programs. Our West teams are doing really well thus far, and we’re very committed to continuing to get #morekidsonbikes and #moregirlson bikes.

Female-identifying kids and parents who are interested in trying out mountain biking are invited join us at Blackhawk Ski Club’s mountain bike trails (East Side parking lot) on May 11, 2024, for instruction, games, beginner rides, and prizes!

When: Saturday May 11th, 10am-12pm OR 1pm-3pm

Where: Blackhawk Ski Club

Who: Female-identifying riders entering 6th-12th grade in September, and female-identifying adults interested in riding along and learning to coach

Sign up here. Coaches, sign up to volunteer here.

Our mountain bike team is fortunate to have many places to ride in the Madison area, and we show our gratitude by dedicating volunteer time as a team to maintaining those trails. Working on trails in the spring and again in the summer and fall, during our team season, keeps the trails safe, as well as fun and challenging to ride. It also means those trails are maintained for other community members, including kids, parents, and other riders who might want to join us as student athletes or coaches someday. Plus, trail work is fun!

In April 2024, student athletes, parents, and coaches worked on one of our main trail systems, Quarry Ridge. We cut back brush, worked on berms, and started constructing a new skills park.

This Sunday, 4/21/24, from 12-4pm, we’ll work on the NEW Saris Trails. Join us!

Keep an eye on CORP for trail conditions, trail work days, and other activities and events: https://www.madcitydirt.com/ 

Skills practices will begin in July 2024! Skills practices are incredibly important to the start of the season. First of all, they provide opportunities for the whole team and coaches to meet each other in a central location. High school riders get teamed up with small riding groups (pods) of middle school riders to demonstrate skills, support younger riders, and act as ambassadors for the team. Coaches run team-building activities, and pods get to know each other with ice breakers and games. Then, pods play tons of games that are super fun and also teach critical technical and safety skills.

Here’s why skills are so important:

• Experienced riders need to refresh their technical and safety skills on a regular basis.
• New riders need to know these key aspects of mountain biking to ride better and stay safe.
• Experienced athletes, including those who road bike or even mountain bike, may not always know these important skills, and it’s essential that they master them before hitting the trails with the team.

This is why we require athletes to attend at least three summer skills practices before they can ride trails with the team–most athletes attend as many as they possibly can to refresh their skills before riding trails.

Skills practice games include a version of “ring toss” to practice bike-body separation, speed control, and braking.

Practicing bike carries over obstacles during ascending dismounts, when your coach, with camera in hand, is the obstacle.

Our summer skills practices are all about getting to know each other, especially within our smaller riding groups, and practicing the fundamental skills we’ll need to stay safe on the trails and ride our mountain bikes with optimal technique. Student athletes learn how to check their bikes before practice, practice bike-body separation and proper body positioning, and practice riding downhill and stopping suddenly. By spending three weeks (six practices) practicing these key skills and more, student athletes and their coaches build and refresh their skills and stamina before hitting the trails in August.

One of the most unique things about our mountain bike team is the ratio of coaches to student athletes on trail rides at team practices; 6 or fewer students to each Level 2 or higher coach. That coaching ratio doesn’t apply to team practices that don’t involve trail riding, like on-the-bike skills practices or playing games in a field, but NICA’s “Safe Kids Policy” does require anyone who rides with and coaches students be a Level 1 coach or higher.

All NICA coaches start with NICA License Level 1 and take it one step at a time throughout the year as opportunities arise to complete additional requirements. And most of our coaches ride frequently outside of practice and attend our coaches’ trainings, like summer coaches skills practice, in which we run through all the skills we’ll be teaching and refreshing with our student athletes when skills practice begins in July! Sometimes, we have visitors drop in (see below).

Interested in joining the fun and becoming a coach? Learn more about NICA Coach Licensing.

The Girls Riding Together (GRiT) initiative is an effort by the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) to recruit and retain more female-identifying riders and coaches in NICA programs. #moregirlsonbikes!

The most perfect weather ever made for an amazing day of riding at Blackhawk Ski Club on Saturday, May 20. During a morning and afternoon event, female-identifying adults and kids gathered with experienced West Madison Mountain Bike Team and Driftless Mountain Bike Team coaches and student athletes to learn more about NICA/Wisconsin League mountain bike teams and gain new skills on bikes.

Small groups taught by coaches learned key skills like the A-B-C-D-Es of checking your bike out before you ride; how to stop effectively when riding; how to ride uphill with proper body positioning; how to ride downhill and over features like rollers and berms in the proper “ready position”; bike-body separation techniques; and other key skills. After practicing each important skill, small groups rode the trails at Blackhawk: The Pines, Roller Coaster, and Twist and Shout.

HUGE THANKS to all of our supporters and sponsors for the event! Dreambikes supplied a fleet of loaner bikes for riders without bikes to use; CORP provided support; and Blackhawk provided the venue. Thanks to Black Saddle Bike Shop, Trek, and other local bike shops for donating to our raffle. Thanks to the West Madison Mountain Bike Teams and Driftless Mountain Bikes teams for co-hosting with Blackhawk Ski Club, and thanks to the coaches and student athletes who volunteered their time to coach and ride with the participants! Thanks to NICA’s GRiT (Girls Riding Together) initiative and the Wisconsin Cycling League for their support of our teams. We continue to work to get more people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds on bikes, and providing a judgement-free, 100% supportive space in which to try out mountain biking is a key way we do that. Thank you again to everyone who helped make it happen and to all the folks who attended. See you on the trails!

Madison West Mountain Bike Teams are part of the Wisconsin League of the National Interscholastic Cycling League (NICA). NICA has a very successful and beloved GRiT initiative, which aims to recruit and retain more female-identifying riders and coaches in co-ed NICA programs. Our West teams are doing really well thus far, and we’re very committed to continuing to get #morekidsonbikes and #moregirlson bikes.

Please invite any female-identifying friends (including parents!) who are interested in trying out mountain biking to join us at Blackhawk Ski Club’s mountain bike trails (East Side parking lot) on May 20, for some instruction, games, beginner rides, and prizes! Rain date June 3. More details below!

Registration and Description here (URL can be copied and shared):

Are you a coach looking to volunteer? Sign up here.

Details:

• Saturday, May 20, at Blackhawk Trails, East Chalet, in Middleton (Rain date June 3)

• Choose one of two sessions: 10am-12pm, or 1pm-3pm

• Learn basic mountain biking skills

• Ride awesome trails and have FUN!

• Please arrive 15 minutes early to get set up with a bike.

Who

• Student participants must be entering 6-12th grade in the fall and female identifying.

• Adults may be interested in riding with athletes this season and female identifying.

Bikes/gear

• Participants will need a mountain bike.

• Bikes will be available if the rider does not have one. Please indicate during registration if you need a bike.

• Helmets are required. Please bring your own helmet.

• Wear comfortable clothing for being outdoors that is able to get muddy.

Weather

• The event is weather dependent. If it is too wet to hold the event, the event will be canceled. Rain date June 3.