FINAL 2022 RACE: Trek!
We are SO excited for our final race of the season - a favorite venue, a party to celebrate all of our riders’ hard work this season…the TREK STATE CHAMPIONSHIP!
This race is truly special! The kids get to ride on trails that are not open to the public…and it is an event that is full of energy and a ton of extra events (beyond our normal race schedule!) AND…remember that ANY registered NICA rider can participate. It is called the “state championship” but anyone can race! For our folks who choose not to race, please come pre-ride with us Saturday, and come spectate on Sunday - especially if you’ve not attended a race yet this year! We promise it will be fun.
Speaking of fun…there are a TON of extra details for this weekends’ final race at Trek. Instead of copying all of the info from the league, we are requesting that you click through the two links below to read the Leagues’ correspondence about race day and non-race activities. Both emails are full of logistics, including how to get to the race venue, what to plan for your schedule, and how to participate in a WHOLE bunch of activities (everything from costume-wearing to trail corps fun, to evening end-of-season celebrations complete with glow sticks and a DJ!)
PLEASE READ BOTH EMAILS CAREFULLY if you have not done so already.
OTHER RACE INFO
In terms of Driftless team-specific updates, here’s what you need to know!
SNACKS & SUPPLIES: We have so many amazing snacks that are left from our previous races. We do not need any more granola bars, trail mix, etc. - we do need a few of the perishable items (fruit, etc. - please see the boxes highlighted in red on this sheet to sign up to bring one of the (very few) items we need!
VOLUNTEER: At the race venue, please consider volunteering to help the league! Sign up is HERE.
SCHEDULE: In addition to the league activities throughout the weekend, we have a TEAM SCHEDULE available for you! It outlines when we will be doing pre-rides and warm-up rides, and where riders need to be for their race wave/time, etc.
PRE-RIDES: Generally speaking, we have had enough coaches to cover our pre-ride needs for each race. That said, we may ask riders to wait to pre-ride until we have appropriately-sized groups (i.e. if there are too many riders, we will ask that some stay until the next pre-ride leaves, so we don’t send out too big of a group). Generally, we have a LOT of riders who arrive for the first round of pre-rides at 1:30 and 2 p.m. - we have fewer riders later in the afternoons. Our last pre-ride leaves the Pit Zone at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
If you cannot make it to pre-ride on Saturday, you may pre-ride EARLY on Sunday. Meet at the Driftless pit zone at 7:25 a.m. and make sure you are with a coach when you start your ride. There is a narrow window of time to pre-ride on Sunday morning. Any pre-riders must be on-course between 7:30 and 8 a.m. (they close the course at 8!) and OFF the entire course lap by 8:30. Please plan accordingly!
RACE PLATES: IF you have raced previously this season and received a race plate, you need to bring it with you. Do not lose it! If you lose your plate, you will need to purchase a replacement plate from the league at the venue. If this is your first race weekend, we will have a race plate for you at the team Pit Zone. Coaches/riders may not pre-ride the course without a race plate. Race plates need to be totally visible when racing or pre-riding (not rolled up/obscured) — back tags are required for racing only, and need to be visible as well.
PIT ZONE: The team Pit Zone (staging area under our Driftless MTB tent) is open for all student athletes and coaches to come to prep for their race, gather before pre-rides/warm ups, and decompress after racing. We ask that families and those who aren’t racing use the area around the pit zone as “standing room only” (no extra bikes, lawn chairs, etc.) as it gets quite congested and crowded, especially with other teams nearby. Please do not block the walkways around the pit zone. Parents, we encourage you all to band together to create a Driftless-team “parent zone” elsewhere within the venue!
FOOD: The race venue will have a bunch of awesome food truck options for spectators and riders on SUNDAY, but you are also welcome to bring your own food. Saturday there are no food vendors on-site. This venue is a bit more remote than some of our other race sites, so please plan ahead.
MERCHANDISE: This is the last weekend to get your rad WI League clothing/merch, and we hear that Trek will also have a merch tent set up! Come check it out!
SPECTATING: We recommend you bring anything you need to be comfortable for a day outside: good walking shoes, camp chairs, sunscreen/bug spray, a water bottle, cash (for merchandise or the food trucks!) and any necessary personal meds or athlete meds (epi pens, inhalers, etc.) Perhaps most importantly: bring noisemakers, face paint, costumes, posters, pom-poms, and your loudest cheering voice - these races are just as fun for spectators as they are for the racers! This final race is a giant PARTY! Bring your costumes and your energy! And check out the “secret” corner of the venue map for a surprise…
Below is info from the league’s RACE FLYER for your perusal! Check out all the rad extra events!
END OF YEAR CELEBRATION
As noted in our previous correspondence, we will be celebrating our season as a group at the Whyte’s amazing backyard hangar in Waunakee (exact location is listed on the team calendar) on Tuesday, November 1, from 6-8 p.m. After researching catering costs, we have opted to have a potluck-style banquet (you all brought such amazing food to the first one…we had to do it again!)
The team will provide dessert for all attendees, and the Whyte’s are providing cider and hot chocolate! The venue is covered, but is outside (think large garage - open air!) so plan to wear clothing appropriate for the weather.
A few logistics:
We need all attendees to RSVP before Friday, Oct. 28. Click here to RSVP if you have not already!
Please sign up to bring a food item here. Please label your food item and any potential allergens! We will have several long tables set up to serve from both sides, and will have extension cords to accommodate crock pots, etc. - but if you have an extra cord, it doesn’t hurt to bring it!
If you have questions about the potluck/food logistics, please contact the amazing Darci Moon at 34damoon@gmail.com
Thank you, Darci! And thank you to the Whyte family for hosting, and Waunakee Schools/John Cramer for supplying tables/chairs!
Last but not least - please thank a coach if you see them at our upcoming event/races - remember that coaches are volunteers and their time and dedication to the teams (showing up to practices, designing fun practice plans, coordinating venues, etc.) are nothing short of incredible. If you are reading this and you are a coach - THANK YOU! Our teams could not exist without you!
