NICA is a nationwide youth sports association with over 25,000 registered student athletes. We build community and character in young athletes through the sport of mountain biking. This is the innagural year for NICA in the 5 Cities area and we will be participating in the newly established Golden State South NICA league. The team is recruiting boys and girls from 5th grade to 7th grade, all skill levels beginner through advanced
Golden State South, Fall Season
Fall Season at a Glance:
> Athlete Registration open thru Aug 31
> Regular Practice Season >> Aug 24 thru Nov 16
> Race Season >> Sep 27 thru Nov 16
RACE 1
SEPT 27-28
RANCHO ALEGRE
SANTA BARBARA​
RACE 2
OCT 18-19
LAKE PERRIS
LOS ANGELES
RACE 3
NOV 1-2
MIDLAND SCHOOL
LOS OLIVOS
RACE 4
NOV 15-16
LAS FLORES RANCH
SANTA MARIA
Link to Golden State South 2025 Series Events Page >>
PRACTICE SEASON:
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> Practice sessions will typically be on a dirt or grass lot
> Learning and practicing NICA OTB 101 Fundamentals Curriculum
> Body Position, how to brake, how to shift, etc...
> Balance Games, Cone Slaloms, Obstacle Courses, Cone Short Course Races
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> The dirt lot sessions will be building strength, endurance, balance, and basic mountain bike skill, all leading up to group trail rides before the start of race season
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> Practice schedule TBD. Expect 1x midweek session and 1x weekend session per week.
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> Trail rides may be in:
> Pismo Preserve
> Lopez Lake
> Laguna Lake
> Irish Hills
> Poly Canyon
RACE SEASON:
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> All races are XC MTB format (Cross Country Mountain Biking)
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> Races will be approximately 5 miles in length with an approximate maximum of 500ft elev gain
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> Youngers will complete 1 lap, olders multiple laps depending on age division
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> All races pit and optional camp setup is Saturday, Racing is Sunday​​
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> All races are optional on an individual basis
Parent Coaches:
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> NICA rely's on parent coaches to make it all happen
> Join the NICA community and get out on the trail with the crew!
> If you can ride a bike you can become a Level 1 Coach
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AGE DIVISIONS:
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> The 5 Cities MTB 2025 team will be focused on a 6th/7th Grade ride group
> NICA is open to 5th thru 12th grade student athletes.
> If you're rider is not in 6th or 7th grade, still reach out and the team will consider accommodating additional ages depending on interest, skill level, and availability of coaches and parent coaches
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WHAT YOU'LL NEED >>
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> Properly fitted mountain bike, ideally with 1x front chainring and wide ratio cassette gearing
> Front Suspension, Rear Suspension and Disc brakes are all great but not mandatory. The most important thing is a wide ratio cassette gearing, proper fitment, and a functional state of tune.
> Helmet and Closed Toed Shoes
> Recommended Gear >> full finger gloves and glasses
> Reach out if you need help with bike or gear questions
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> Parents will need to be able to transport their athlete and bike to and from practices on a flexible schedule, anywhere from Lopez Lake to the Cuesta Grade
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For registration inquiries please email Dan at dnbaggs@gmail.com
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Registration is accomplished in NICA PitZone after receiving a registration invite.
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Link to NICA PitZone:
Five Cities MTB is proudly sponsored by the Village Cyclery. Team members receive a great discount on all goods and services. Grayson, the new shop owner is an Arroyo Grande native, an active young rider and trail advocate, and doing a great job to reconfigure the shop to be the go to place in the 5 Cities for Performance Oriented cycling and Mountain Bike needs. Make sure to SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL BIKE SHOP and stop by the Village Cyclery for all of your parts and service needs.
Links:
NICA Main Site >>
Golden State South >>
https://goldenstatesouthmtb.org/
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NICA GRiT (Girls Riding Together) >>
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NICA handbook >>
https://files.nationalmtb.org/hubfs/Handbooks/NICA-Handbook.pdf
Longer format NICA Vid >>
https://youtu.be/BNz8znDsm-0?si=wPVd0n9bCtJgyX-Q
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