Gearing up for the season
Three cheers for reading ALL THE WAY to the end of this long, informational pre-season post! Thank you!
We’re just shy of six weeks out from our first week of practices in July - but, even though the season doesn’t officially start until then, there’s a TON going on in the upcoming weeks, including some required events and deadlines — so please read the following update carefully to ensure you’ve got everything squared away. Deadlines are highlighted below!
REGISTRATION & MEMBERSHIPS
Registration is fully open and ongoing. Remember that comprehensive registration instructions can be found HERE, but the cliff notes are below. You should have all of these items completed before the season begins!
Register with Driftless MTB - $60 (team fee - includes team shirt and basic operational costs)
Register with NICA in PitZone ($90 - includes Wisconsin League membership and NICA membership)
Blackhawk Ski Club MTB membership ($25 for student or $90 for family)
Register for TeamSnap (details coming SOON - you haven’t missed this step. If you registered in both places above, you WILL receive an invite, and we will notify you when we send them out)
Anonymous scholarships and registration fee assistance is available for student-athletes. Click here for more info.
Remember, registered NICA student-athletes and coaches are eligible for a ton of awesome discounts! Check here for the most up-to-date discount information!
A few other details: race registration is optional and can be done now or later — no rush. Please don’t forget to purchase a WI State Parks Pass (for practices @ Blue Mounds) and a State Trails Pass (required for riders 16+ years of age)
Our season registration (steps 1-4 above) closes on July 1. So, if you have items you need to complete from the list above, or if you have friends who are thinking about joining, please tell them ASAP!
Team Uniforms
As part of the Driftless MTB registration costs, ALL student-athletes will receive a team practice shirt.
“Kits” (or, team uniforms) are not included in registration fees. Kits are an optional purchase. Kits are worn at races, but also used for simply practicing/riding on your own. Please carefully read our FAQs and refer to the size charts on the Borah website.
Our first round of ordering closes TOMORROW, May 31. If you order by EOD tomorrow, you will receive your order at the start of the season; if you wait to order, you may not have your items until August (at the earliest).
Note: we will have a casual team apparel store (t-shirts, hats, etc.) which will open later this season. Stay tuned for details!
PRE-SEASON DATES
All of our important dates are located on the Driftless calendar, but here’s the low-down for what’s coming up in the pre-season…
Optional Pre-season events:
TRY-IT-OUT Event for moms & female coaches!
When: THIS Thursday, June 1 (5:30pm - 8:30pm)
Where: Badger Prairie (Verona)
Details: Hey ladies - if you're curious about giving mountain biking a try, or are considering joining as a coach, come check it out and meet current female NICA coaches/moms from Dane County! Light snacks provided. Loaner bikes available - please contact us after registration if you need a bike! If you've been curious but intimidated about mountain biking in general (we totally get it!) - this is the perfect no-pressure, zero-intimidation venue for you to learn and give this a try.
Registration ends soon - please register ASAP!
PRE-SEASON FUN RIDE!
When: Friday June 23 (6pm - 8pm)
What: FUN RIDE! (Optional? Yes. Fun involved? Also, YES!) — for ALL riders.
Where: We haven't nailed down our final choice of venue just yet. Please stay tuned!
REQUIRED PRE-Season EVENTS
DRIFTLESS BIKE RODEO
This year, we’ve got an awesome event organized to get all of our riders completely ready and dialed for the season - from last-minute questions with a team director, to gear info, helmet fitting, and even a full bike check-up with the amazing mechanics from Trek West (for FREE!)
Driftless Coaches, local expert bike mechanics and trail stewards will be on hand. Get your bike checked, get essential team info, and make sure your riders are ready with proper gear, safe bike, etc. — we may even have a raffle with great prizes.
IMPORTANT: It is required for riders and one family member/parent to attend ONE of these two sessions. Please save the date now for one of our DRIFTLESS BIKE RODEOS:
Wednesday, June 28 at Blackhawk West Chalet
— OR —Sunday July 9, location TBD.
NOT A DEADLINE, BUT SAVE THE DATE FOR ONE OF THE TWO EVENTS.
Start of season: Dates to remember
Our season kicks off in July with our first practices. We will practice Tuesday and Thursday nights at rotating trail locations. This year, NEW riders and families will join us first, for an introductory practice on Thursday, July 6 (details below) All other returning riders will join us the following week, on July 11. More details coming in Team Snap!
Practice times will be 6pm - 8pm until after Labor Day, then 5:30 - 7:30 pm (due to earlier sunset) through the end of October. After Labor Day, please bring a bike light to practices -- trails back in the thicker woods tend to get dark toward the end of practice.
**Please remember, for safety reasons, we require riders to attend at least 4 practices in the first 4 weeks of practice! This is when practices are heaviest on basic skills training!**
INTRO PRACTICE FOR NEW RIDERS & FAMILIES
For anyone who has not been a part of our teams previously, regardless of riding experience
When: Thursday July 6 (6pm - 8pm)
Where: Blackhawk West Chalet
What: 1st Practice for NEW RIDERS & THEIR FAMILIES ONLY!
FIRST PRACTICE FOR ALL RIDERS
When: Tuesday July 11 (6pm - 8pm)
What: 1st Practice for ALL RIDERS
Where: TBD - check TeamSnap once available
RACES
100% optional and 100% FUN! We HIGHLY encourage you to attend at least one race, even if you don’t plan to compete. There are five race weekends from September through October, located throughout the state of Wisconsin. Race all, none, or some — it's entirely up to you, and it's not something you need to commit to now. You're absolutely welcome to register for races later should you choose to race! Saturdays are PRE-RIDE days. ALL student-athletes can pre-ride the race course at no cost — whether you're racing or not! Sundays are RACE days - multiple race categories depending on grade and past race finishes. Again - we highly encourage you to check these out! They are a ton of fun for riders of all abilities/interest. For locations that are farther away, camping is available — others prefer to book lodging (which can fill quickly, so reserve sooner rather than later!) If you're new to this and not quite sure what a race weekend entails, let us know — we'd be happy to fill you in!
Sept 2-3: Cable/Telemark - 42225 Telemark Rd., Cable, WI
Sept 16-17: Lowes Creek - 5238 S. Lowes Creek Rd., Eau Claire, WI
Sept 23-24: Englewood Farm - W1414 County Hwy Z, Fall River, WI (driveable - no lodging/camping needed!)
Oct 7-8: Nordic Mountain - W5806 County Hwy X, Wild Rose, WI
Oct 21-22: Trek Trails - 97 Canal Rd., Waterloo, WI (driveable - no lodging/camping needed!)
WE NEED YOUR HELP
As you know, Driftless MTB is 100% volunteer run. Whether you want to mountain bike or not, we could surely use your help! (Some roles require Level 1 Coach Certification -- this does NOT require the need to get on a bike!) Here are a few options:
Coach on the bike with us: What’s more fun than riding along, getting some exercise, and enjoying the trails!?
Trailhead Coach: be available during practice at the trailhead to help get riders signed in, be available for parent questions, be available to wait with an athlete who needs to leave early due to injury or bike malfunction.
Camping Coordinator: let the WI League know how many families will be camping at each of the races. (You don't need to be attending yourself...we need a point person for families to let you know if they'll be camping, and give the League a final number. In the past, we've had typically 5ish families who camp.) - this is set up through our website and is SUPER easy to run/report each weekend in the fall!
Adventure Ride Coordinator: If you like riding and planning adventure rides, we'd love to have your assistance in this respect!
GRiT Coordinator: Help with spearheadingGRiT events!
…got another awesome talent or idea on how you can help our teams? Let us know!!
HORRIBLY HILLY HUNDREDS
We are approx FIVE volunteers short to meet the number we need in order to receive a $750 donation to Driftless MTB!
Please volunteer to come and help us cheer at the finish line at Blue Mounds State Park on Saturday, June 17! Seriously - that's all you need to do. Cheer. Cheer on the 1,000-ish racers in this grueling road race involving close to 10,000 feet of elevation gain (!!!) Cheer with us 10am - 2pm OR 2pm - 6pm. Email ambrabaldwinhart@gmail.com and she'll get you signed up! We reeeeally could use 5 more volunteers for Driftless MTB to receive the $750 donation - so please reach out to Ambra to let her know you're able to help out by ringing a cowbell and cheering that day! You’d be our hero if you helped us fill those final volunteer slots!
HELPFUL LINKS
A huge THANK YOU for your involvement with Driftless MTB! We know it takes time to digest all these details and get your kids to practices and events -- to make sure they have all the necessary equipment and get them where they need to be in all sorts of different locations. We know you lead busy lives too! We love that you and your kids are a part of our teams. Thank you for making time and for making this a priority in your busy schedules!
Sincerely,
Your Driftless Leadership Team
