Program
The Iowa City Mountain Bike Club is a cycling team for youth grades 3rd through 12th. We welcome everyone from excited bargainers to experienced racers. Our focus is on having fun, practicing skills, building confidence, improving fitness, and racing at cross country events.
Cross country is a specific form of cycling. It’s different from road riding, downhill racing, cyclocross, or track racing. Cross country riding requires a broad range of skills to ride up, down, and around dirt trails. Our team’s activities are focused on preparing for and racing at cross-country mountain biking events.
Our team’s Mission Statement is to provide athletes with coaching, support, and camaraderie to help them achieve both competitive and noncompetitive mountain bike goals in a safe and fun way. We are established as a Corridor-area team, based in Iowa City. We will provide training in mountain biking skills and provide the opportunity for members to race in the Iowa Scholastic Mountain Bike League.
Our team is focused on improving our riding skills and fitness so that each member can achieve their personal best. As a team member, you will greatly improve your mountain biking skills in a supportive, enjoyable team environment. You may choose whether or not to participate in races (although the fun and experience of racing is recommended). The coaches will provide valuable guidance and technical instruction whether you choose to race or not, and we will all encourage each other to succeed and achieve. We set both individual and team goals. We then work collaboratively to attain these goals. The main goal of the coaches is to help the youth have fun while developing skills. In the end, we want members of the team to become healthy, life-long cyclists.
Practices will start in April. They will be once a week on Thursday evenings from 6:00-7:30pm at the Creekside Flow trails (3550 340th St SE, Coralville) or Sugar Bottom trails (2192 Mehaffey Bridge Rd NE, Solon). Races start on May 18th and go through June 29th.
GROUPS: During the first practices, athletes will work in large groups to allow the coaching staff to assess riders and develop different groups. Many factors are involved in forming groups, such as the athlete’s age, experience, group chemistry, sibling needs, and many other factors. Group assignments are not a ranking and should not be viewed as competitive nor an evaluation of each athlete. As the season goes on, athletes might be moved to different groups to better meet their needs. Our intent is to support and challenge each athlete in the most appropriate group.
LOCATIONS: We break into small groups that meet at various locations throughout Johnson County. We rotate among two locations: Creekside Flow trails at 3550 340th St SE in Coralville) and Sugar Bottom trails at 2192 Mehaffey Bridge Rd NE outside Solon. Locations for each group are announced weekly, which enables us to place each group at the best location for their needs and the weather that week.
SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE: We encourage families to contact us about possible assistance with finding and/or paying for jerseys, shorts, helmets, bikes, and racing costs. We don't want finances to be a barrier to participating on the team. If you need such support, please email us at ICmtbclub@gmail.com.
SAFETY: Athlete wellness is a high priority for our team. Every coach is goes through trainings about bike safety, concussion protocols, and child abuse prevention.
BAD WEATHER: We almost never cancel practice due to bad weather. We ride in the sun, rain, heat, or cold. Please be ready for the conditions that day (e.g. water, jackets, pants, etc.). When trails are too muddy to ride, we’ll ride on hard surface trails. In the case of extreme weather, we will cancel practice.
JERSEYS: Team jerseys are required for racing, but are optional for those who choose not to race. Group orders are placed at the start of the season and take about two months to be produced. Families can also swap jerseys to meet the needs of our every-growing athletes.
BIKES: Athletes should have a mountain bike, disc brakes, front suspension, wheels that are size 26" (or greater), or wheels that are 2" wide (or wider). If you have any questions, your child's bike does not meet these requirements, or you need help getting a bike, please reach out to us at ICmtbclub@gmail.com. We're always happy to help in any way we can.
