A beautiful setting in rural Wisconsin is the next stop for our NICA races. The Agnew Family has opened their property, Englewood Farm, to mountain bike races on the international level and NICA has the privilege of racing there this season for the first time!

Englewood Farm is a working farm and therefore there are some very specific rules from the Agnew’s that are in place to ensure the safety and health of the animals who call these fields home.

▪ Fences are electric so do not touch the fences, they will shock you.
▪ Because we are concerned for the safety of all our guests and our livestock, we respectfully ask that you leave your pets at home. No Pets Allowed.
▪ Cooking on camp stoves is fine but no open flames, please. No campfires of any kind.
▪ Broken glass is very dangerous to cattle and very hard to clean up. No glass containers, please.
▪ Please keep our farm clean. Carry-in/Carry-out all trash. Please be prepared for this!
▪ Do not discard race fuel wrappers on course. Cattle like sugar and electrolytes too, and plastic wrappers can block their digestive tract. If racers are observed littering, a 5 min penalty will be added to their time. Penalties can also be issued to teams for littering.
▪ Please leave the cows alone and do not open any gates.

Looking forward to seeing you at the farm!

Renee Griswold, League Director
Angela Brooks, Program Manager/Race Director

We are paperless so this is the source for all things racing! Registration, race plates, course map, schedule for the weekend and more. Please take the time to read it so you know the scoop and download what you need for race weekend.

REMINDER: Online race registration is made in Pitzone and closes at 11:59pm the Tuesday before each race.

On-site registration is available but has a late fee and athletes lose their staging position if they are not registered by the Tuesday night deadline.

IMPORTANT: Please check the Race Guide each week for current wave start times. D1 & D2 will alternate between start times and there may be other modifications as well. Pending any extenuating last minute changes, the schedule listed on Thursday before race day is accurate.

The new bye-week race schedule of 2022 brings scoring changes from previous seasons.

Category leaders are now calculated based on averages during the season, as not everyone will have an equal number of potential points until we have finished the first 6 races in the series. This means there will not always be a leader change at races because a higher average may not have been met compared to other racers in the category.

Let’s use the top 5 Varsity boys finishers from each of our first two races as an example for mid-season results:

NA = athlete’s team was not assigned to the race.
0 = athlete’s team was assigned to the race but they did not participate.

The Race Results software calculates for any leader changes after each race for athletes who are present. Therefore, new leaders will be recognized during awards only if a racing athlete overtakes the overall lead that day. Athletes who overtake the lead without racing will be contacted and may receive their leader jersey on pre-ride day of their next race from the Race Director or League Director.

This method of scoring has been successful with other NICA leagues operating with a bye-week schedule and has therefore been adopted for Wisconsin. Full scoring details are found in the NICA Handbook and this information is listed in Appendix B under Wisconsin Exceptions.

Camping reservations are made with your Team Camping Planner. Please contact him/her/them for all your team details.

The Team Pitzone is located near the race start and is ideal for race day operations. Athletes can gather at your Pitzone tent on Sunday to warm-up, get tune-ups and prepare for staging before they race. Trash is again carry-in/carry-out. Please plan accordingly.

At Englewood Farm, vehicles will need to cross the course to access Pitzone. Please adhere to the set-up and tear down hours in the Race Guide and exercise extreme caution driving in/out of Pitzone.

Pitzone Set-up:
Saturday, 11:00am-5:00pm
Sunday, 7:00-8:00am

Pizone Tear-Down: Sunday, 4:00-6:00.

Calling all parents, caregivers, grandparents, extended family and friends! We need a couple hours of your time on race weekend!

Please signup to help create a great event! Jobs are fun and don’t require any previous experience or, in most cases, even riding a bike. Anyone can help! Teens can help too, but they must do a job where their own parent/guardian can be working in the same area.

You don’t need experience and you don’t need to miss your athlete’s race as a volunteer. From helping people figure out where to park to watching the races on the course or riding your bike during the race helping athletes during their races there are opportunities for you. These are some of the volunteer needs.

NEW: Teams who rack up the highest percentage of volunteer hours based on their team size at each race will receive PRIORITY PITZONE PLACEMENT for their next race!! WOOT!! (Yes, Trek hours will transfer to the 2023 season).

Which volunteer position is right for you?
Consider your athlete’s race schedule. Consider how much time you are willing to give to your athlete’s race to make it successful and awesome. Look at the volunteer registration form and find the times that coordinate with those factors. Find jobs that you would enjoy based on the descriptions in the signups and remember, training is provided so give anything a try.

Questions? Please contact the League’s fantastic Volunteer Coordinator, Allison Carmody.

Please use the designated warm-up area on near the infield. Do not warm-up on roads. Thank you.

Englewood Farm will be selling their delicious products on Saturday and Sunday. Tacos, pizza and ice cream will also be available on Sunday.

NICA races are so exciting! Watching athletes work so hard and accomplish new goals is a rush! Sometimes the excitement can get in the away though of good spectator etiquette and this can cause hazards to athletes and race officials. Please keep the following in mind and realize the poor spectator behavior can result in a team penalty.

Always be aware of your surroundings, even behind you! Walking a trail to get to good spot? Check over your shoulder often for athletes on the course and always move well out of their way.

Be a good sport. Be a good role model to your child and all student athletes by remaining calm and positive.

Keep the course clear. Only cross the active course if absolutely necessary. You might think it is clear but athletes are fast and they need a clear path ahead.

Listen to Race Officials. They have a job to do to keep the race going safely. Please cooperate and follow their instructions with a smile.

Bike Patrol ALWAYS has right of way. They are just like an ambulance on the road, on a bike or when driving their UTV. Clear the way immediately when you hear their the horn or voices so they can get to the person in need as quickly and safety as possible….it could be your child they are trying to help some day.

Keep small children (and dogs) close and help them learn to be good spectators too.

Only help athletes with their bikes on course if they ask. Many athletes can fix their own bikes and there are time penalties for getting outside assistance so please don’t jump in unless they ask.

All these rules, and more, are found in the NICA HANDBOOK and all coaches, parents, spectators and athletes are expected to know and follow the rules. Many of the spectator-specific rules are in Section 3.

Thank you for helping all athletes have a safe and fast race!

Think ahead about getting involved in upcoming races too….let’s keep the stoke going all season!

The 2022 Minooka Race will be a memorable one!

Lessons in problem solving, perseverance, and grit lead to a rewarding experience for many of our student athletes who raced through the tough, wet conditions and for the families, friends and coaches providing support!

As I said before awards, my mantra for the day was set early on when talking with a 6th grade athlete who had just completed his first race ever. I asked him if he had fun and his response from deep in his gut was ‘Heck, Yeah THAT WAS FUN!’ There were certainly elements of challenge but also many more elements of fun. Take those elements of fun with you into your week ahead.

Race results and photos are posted here but give photos a bit more time to upload if you are quick to click today. Thank you to League photographers Dave Reich and Anthony James.

See you at your next race!
Renee Griswold, League Director