NICA is so much more than racing in the Wisconsin League! Adventure and Teen Trail Corps bring positive, team building fun without the pressure of a clock. Check out all the great events happening this summer, so far!

Adventure Ride | Saturday, July 23

9am-2pm
CamRock Area 2
68 County Hwy B, Cambridge WI

Adventure rides are opportunities for student athletes to ride an MTB-orienteering course with their teammates in a pod led by their team coaches.

What is MTB-orienteering?

It is like an orienteering race but at mountain bike speed. Pods will get navigation maps and a control punch card at the start. Use the map to find markers out on the course and punch your card. Pods can select ride options from Mild (5 markers), Medium (10 markers) and Spicy (15 markers/12 miles).

Coaches will lead the ride the same as a practice. Teams will have ride groups maintaining a student-athlete to coach ratio of 6:1 or 8:2 minimum. You can combine ride groups with other NICA teams to get to the ratios and to have some more fun!

Finish your ride and return your punch card to the registration table. Riders will get a rad finishers sticker. Grab some finish line food. Claim your ticket for the giveaway. We will have some awesome prizes to give away; helmets, lights, and a Saris rack. Drawing takes place at 2:30, must be present to win.

Family-led camping is available at Camrock 2 on Friday night and Saturday night.

Registration:

This event is a joint fundraiser with CORP. We will split net proceeds with them to help keep building awesome trails.

To open registration to your team, please contact Joe FitzGibbon at joseph@wisconsinmtb.org

Student-Athletes: $50. Register in Pitzone. Scholarships are available.

Coaches: No charge but please register in Eventbrite so we know you are coming.

Family Camping: $25 RV. $15 Tent. Register in Eventbrite.

Note to coaches: Adventure Rides are League organized, Team Led. Student athletes enter the course in team pods and participate under the same guidelines as a practice. There is no limit on the number of riders you can bring from your team, so long as you have enough coaches to maintain the 6:1 or 8:2 ratios.

Other notes:
Proceeds from this ride will be split with Capital Off Road Pathfinders (CORP) to fund trail maintenance.

There will be a Teen Trail Corps work session on Friday afternoon. More details to follow.

FAQ

1. Can non-coaching parents of students ride along in this event?
Yes they can! They will need to sign a waiver at the check in table before heading out on course.

2. I don’t see the event in Pitzone, how do I register my student athlete?
Have your team’s Adventure Coordinator contact Joe Fitzgibbon. We need confirmation that your team will have coaching support at the event before opening registration to your team in Pitzone.

3. What is MTB-orienteering again?
MTB-orienteering is awesome fun! Riders get a map that shows land features and a route. Try to always know where you are on the map, and use the map to navigate the trails. The markers will be in plain sight from the trail – you won’t have to get off the bike and search. You won’t need to pull out a compass that will slow down the fun. You may end up re-riding sections of the course to reorient yourself and find the path to the next marker. During the CamRock ride, the markers will lead you to a few fun and challenging games that you can try to complete before moving on.

4. Who is this event for?
All fully registered WI League NICA athletes and coaches. About 30% of NICA student athletes never do a race. Adventure rides provide all NICA riders with an opportunity to take on a challenge as a team, to do a longer challenging ride, and to not feel rushed by the clock. If you are on the fence, give it a try. You won’t regret it.

Also, those in need of assistance with participation fees submit a confidential scholarship application.

The Wisconsin League will host an Adventure Ride at the Seeley Pass trails (CAMBA) on Saturday, August 20th.

We are in the process of rescheduling some of the plans here. There is a local race going the same morning and the same trails as this event, so we are working out some contingencies. Hold tight and watch for updates as we make this an awesome weekend for the local racers and for our NICA Adventurers.

Coach Ride Trail Tours

Gain an understanding of the features of the local trails and find a level of comfort in leading practices at trail clusters around the state, grow the community support of our local trails and an appreciation of the efforts required to keep trails accessible to the NICA community.

Heritage Trails in Slinger | Saturday, July 16 at 11am
With Heritage Trails volunteers

Emma Carlin Trail in Palmyra | Sunday, July 17 at 10am
This will be a no-drop coach ride with trail discussions provided by the local trail steward Chuck Kilmer. Chuck will share emergency access routes, evac points, trail cautions and exciting routes suitable for various experience levels.

RSVP to Mike Seiler (TeenTrailCorps@WisconsinMTB.org)

Adopt-A-Trail

Please consider dedicating just ONE team practice for trail maintenance or possibly completing a Trail Adoption task. July and August are key times for invasive species taking over the trail shoulders. Trail stewards are doing what they can, but they need your help.

For opportunities, contact TTC Mike Seiler TeenTrailCorps@WisconsinMTB.org or your local trail stewards for guidance on how your team can participate.

Together we can keep our trails viable and available for generations of MTB riders

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