The National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) announced new leagues in Arkansas, New Jersey, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, at a press conference during the annual Interbike trade show in Las Vegas, September 16.

“There is now an almost unbroken chain of interscholastic cycling leagues spanning from coast to coast!,” exclaimed Austin McInerny, executive director for NICA, a youth
development organization governing middle and high school mountain
biking in the United States. “With the addition of these four new leagues, nearly 60 percent of the country’s population will now have access to interscholastic cycling.”

McInerny is particularly excited with the quality of regional organizers joining the NICA program. Many league directors have years of experience providing cycling opportunities in their communities.

“They’ve been watching and studying NICA and now they’re getting involved,” he said. “In partnership with these committed individuals, through cycling programs we are both enabling adolescents to achieve personal wellness and building stronger communities in the process.”

NICA’s growing network now includes 19 state and regional leagues: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Northern California, Pennsylvania, Southern California, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin.

As of September 2015, NICA had just over 3,000 coaches working with nearly 7,500 student­-athletes from 522 high schools in the USA, giving a very favorable overall supervision ratio of one adult to three student-athletes.

New league websites

NICA kicked off a fundraising drive at Interbike, with generous matching grants from the Clif Bar Family Foundation and QBP putting $60,000 of potential additional funds on the table. Click nationalmtb.org/boosterclub/ to donate to the NICA Booster Club to support this effort.

Founded in 2009 as a 501(c)3 non-profit, the NICA develops interscholastic mountain biking programs for student-athletes and coaches across the United States. NICA provides leadership, services and governance for local leagues to produce quality mountain bike events, and supports every student-athlete in the development of strong body, strong mind and strong character through their efforts on the bike. As of September 2015, NICA has just over 3,000 coaches who are working with nearly 7,500 student­-athletes from 522 high schools in the USA, giving a very favorable overall supervision ratio of one adult to three student-athletes.