FAQs

general Questions

  • Any high school or middle schooler. All students from 6th to 12th grade can participate. NICA does allow 5th graders, please contact the team for more info.

  • Any student attending a school (or homeschooled) in Buncombe County that does not have a NICA school-based team. If your school already has a team, you are required to join that team. Please note that NICA determines team placement based on the school your child attends and not where you live. Find a team!

  • Home-school students can participate if they are in middle school or high school, and their home-school is registered in Buncombe County.

  • The pre-season starts around Oct 15 (regular season begins Dec 1) and ends May 30th. Practice days are Saturdays or Sundays alternating, and in spring we add one - two week day practices.

  • If we have available capacity you could possibly join us until 1/31 when Student-Athlete Registrations Closes. However, our “try it out” events occur in the fall and we prefer all new riders to attend one of these events.

  • Not a problem... students can drop in and out of practice as needed based on the season.

  • All local trails in Bent Creek and Dupont, and Old Fort. Races occur throughout the state - locations are determined ahead of each season.

Riding info

  • We are not able to teach children to ride bikes. If your child is a beginner, we have ride groups differentiated by age and ability, and coaches are trained to teach basic mountain bike skills.

  • NICA has a strong track record of being very safe, however, mountain biking, like any sport/activity, can be dangerous. Students are required to wear helmets and ride with a coach at all times. NOTE: Biking cannot be made safe – it always has an inherent risk. NICA's first priority is the safety of our student-athletes.

  • Essential equipment:

    • Working mountain bike, with 26” or larger tires

    • Helmet

    • Water bottle or hydration pack

    • Tire repair kit and a way to carry it on a ride

    • Weather appropriate clothing layers

  • We have 3 levels of coaches. All coaches are NICA trained including concussion and risk management training as well as a background check. Leven 2/3 coaches have wilderness first aid and CPR training.

  • If you become a NICA coach and do the NICA training as well as background check you can coach. We welcome parents to become NICA coaches. Parents who are not coaches are not permitted to ride with the team.

  • NICA provides 5 to 6 races across the state of NC. For more details visit NC NICA.

  • Races are not mandatory, but we do encourage all team members to try a race. It is so much fun!

  • Student riders will race against their same gender and level student athletes.

Additional info

  • No transportation is provided, you must be able to transport your child and their bike to and from the practice locations and races. We have some loaner bikes available.

  • Scholarships are available through the state NICA league. Our team fundraises to support some scholarship support. Loaner bikes are available through the league, and our team has a small fleet as well.

  • Yes, we are actively seeking sponsors for financial support of the team. See one of the coaches if interested. Also, see our sponsor page on the website.