- This event has passed.
2023 Race #1 – Aloha at Troy
January 29 @ 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Save the Date for the first race of the 2023 Texas Interscholastic Mt. Bike League season at the Sacket Family Ranch in Troy, Texas!
Before the Race
Register in PitZone
The race registration deadline is 11:59 p.m. the Tuesday prior to race. Late registration will be open on the Saturday of the race weekend, between 9:00 a.m.-2 p.m. A $25 late fee will be assessed and the rider will go to the back of the call-ups regardless of series standings.
Fun Lap
We are excited to continue the fun lap this season for athletes that want to participate in the race weekend but are not interested in competing. Athletes cannot participate in both the Fun Lap and their race category.
The Fun Lap will be run like any other category with race plates, sweeps and starting times. There will be no scoring or posted placements.
To sign up for the Fun Lap, athletes must first register for the race in Pit Zone, and then complete the Fun Lap registration from.
Fill out the Venue Waiver
The league will be using a digital waiver again this year that race attendees will be required to sign once and will cover all venues throughout the 2024 season. Everyone who enters the venue is required to complete the waiver even those who are not competing.
The venue waiver will be posted here when ready.
Race Plates
Coaches will pick up all race plates at the first race. Riders will receive one plate to be used for all 2024 season races. Plates have chips on the back and require care to avoid damage. New this season: each athlete will also get a back number to adhere to their jersey. There is a $10 fee to replace lost, stolen or forgotten plates. If you need a replacement, go to the registration tent.
To be on the course at any time during race weekend, riders (Students and Coaches) must be fully practice ready in Pit Zone and have their number plates on their bike.
NO UNREGISTERED PARENTS OR SIBLINGS ALLOWED ON COURSE (GRiT ride participants should sign a waiver at the GRiT tent)
RACE PLATE NUMBERS
North Conference: Odd
South Conference: Even
Race-weekend Schedule
Friday
noon – Venue Gate open for staff and course setup volunteers only.
2-10 p.m. Venue Gate Hours
Saturday
8:00 a.m. Venue Gates Open
8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Team packet pick-up at the registration tent. Send one coach per team to get athlete race number plates, coach plates, and feed zone lanyards.
8:30 a.m. Volunteer Shifts Begin
9:15 a.m. Coaches Only Pre-ride
10:00 a.m. *Course Open for Scheduled Pre-Rides
*Pre ride times for each team will be pre-scheduled by the league. All racers should pre-ride the course during their appointed time. Riders must adhere to all course restrictions and follow the directions of staff on the course.
3:00 p.m. NICA GRiT Ride @ NICA GRiT Tent
4:30-6:00 p.m. Pre-ride open to any team
10:00 p.m. Venue Gates Close. NO ENTRY AFTER 10 p.m. No exceptions
Saturday Coach Trainings
- There were no results found for "Troy".
- There were no results found for "Troy".
Sunday
7:00 a.m. Venue Gates Open
7:30 a.m. *Course Open to for Pre-Ride
8:00 a.m. Course Marshal Meeting, Volunteer Shifts Begin
8:15 a.m. Head Coaches Meeting @ Registration Tent
This meeting is mandatory. If a team does not have a coach represented, a penalty may be assessed.
8:30 a.m. Pre-Ride Closed, Race Sweep Meeting
9:00 a.m. Racing Begins – Race-day updates will be communicated through the League channel 6(6) on your radios.
Updated 1/26
3:30 p.m. Podiums following infield cleanup.
Team Snap
TeamSnap has replaced GroupMe as our League chat app. With the League subscription, all teams have access to a team app as well. All teams, coaches and athletes with completed registrations prior to the end of 2022 have been added to TeamSnap. Check your email for a TeamSnap invitation and download the app. If you have questions, reach out to mike@texasmtb.org.
Venue Details
Venue Waiver
The league will be using a digital waiver again this year that race attendees will be required to sign once and will cover all venues throughout the 2023 season.
Venue Gate Hours
Friday 2-10:00 p.m. (unless signed up to volunteer)
Saturday 8:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Sunday gate opens at 7:00 a.m.
NO ENTRY AFTER 10 p.m. No exceptions
Fees – CASH ONLY
$15.00 per person if arriving Friday or Saturday.
$10.00 for Sunday only.
Children under 6 free.
Camping:
Included in the $15.00 fee. No RV hookups available – generators must be turned off by 10 p.m.. No reservations required or available. Contact txsacket@gmail.com for more info.
Hotels:
Multiple hotel options in nearby Temple, TX
Venue Map
Venue Rules
- No dogs (No Exceptions – you will be asked to leave the venue immediately).
- No open fires – fires in fire rings only.
- No drones.
- All bodies of water are off limits. No swimming, wading, or fishing.
Volunteer at a race
This organization is run by a community of volunteers, and there are a number of ways you can donate your time to support the league!
Volunteering at our races is a fun and rewarding way to get involved and help bring the NICA experience alive for our student athletes, parents, and coaches. It takes approximately 100 volunteers to put on each race and we have positions for all skill sets – on or off the bike.
For more information, contact volunteers@texasmtb.org
Volunteer Positions
You don’t need to be a mountain bike expert to be a great volunteer! Volunteers can help set up the course, work road and course crossings, keep an eye on students on the course (course marshals), assist with scoring and so much more.
Sign Up
Getting involved with the race is a rewarding experience and a great way to be part of the action!
Saturday and Sunday positions are available and we will have a sign up link available soon!
Volunteer Home Teams
Each race is assigned a group of home teams based on proximity to the venue. We expect home teams to make a concerted effort to get as many volunteers from their team as possible for that race weekend, but we recognize that the weekends can be busy for everyone involved and travel itmes vary.
Race 1 (N+S)
TBD
Race 2 (S)
TBD
Race 3 (N)
TBD
Race 4 (N+S)
TBD
Race 5 (N)
TBD
Race 6 (S)
TBD
State Champs
TBD
Additional Race Details
Season Scoring
Race Series Rules
Texas offers a 5 race series. A total of 7 races will be held. Two regular-season races will host both conferences (the conference will have separate fields for each category), two races will host only the North conference, and two races will host only the South conference. This will give each conference four regular-season conference races. The final championship race will host both conferences, and conferences will be combined into one field. Individual and team scoring will be as follows.
Overall Individual Conference Series Champion
The series winner for each conference will be determined by the best 3 out of 4 regular season conference races, not inclusive of the state championship race. After the last conference race, 25 bonus points will be awarded for completing all conference races. The overall series champion in each category in the conference will be decided based on the total of series points accumulated after four races and dropping the lowest score. (Best 3 of 4 results and inclusive of bonus points.)
A missed race would be the lowest score dropped. In the case of a race cancellation, the conference series becomes a 3-race series. Scoring becomes best 2 out of 3. If a second race is canceled, no score will be dropped.
State Championship Points, Podiums, and Call Ups
Call-ups for the State Championship race, to include all conferences, will be determined by the individual student athlete’s conference series points total, inclusive of bonus points. Podiums will be awarded to the top 10 athletes in each category. The winner of each race category will be declared as State Champion.
In the event that all conferences don’t have the same number of regular season races, the number of best-of-races considered for call-ups will be determined by the lowest number of races completed by any conference.
For example, Conference A completes one more race than Conference B. The combined state championship call-ups will be based on the number of regular-season races completed by Conference B minus one. There will be a minimum of 2 races considered when determining call-ups for the state championship race.
State Championship Eligibility
- Student-athletes must have earned points from a regular season race to be eligible to compete in the state championship race.
- Student-athletes must be a Texas League member to compete in the state championship race (no guest riders).
Overall Team Scoring
A team’s overall conference placement is based on team point totals from all regular season conference races (total of all conference races and no scores are dropped). State champion teams will be determined by the winners of the State Championship race. The team’s score is the highest score possible out of the boy-girl combinations.
Series Call-Ups and Waves
- Maximum Field Size- Any category with 50 or more racers will be split into multiple waves not to exceed 50 per wave. As an example, an 80-rider field would be split into 2 waves. The top 40 call-ups would be in the first wave and 40-80 call-ups in the second wave.
- 1 podium for each category, 5 deep for conference races, and 10 deep for the state championship
- At the League’s discretion, conference categories of the same level may be combined into one category based on registration numbers.
- 100% Call ups for all categories
- Call-ups for the first race will use the previous season’s point totals, inclusive of championship points and bonus points. 6th graders will be random for the first race. New riders to the League will be assigned a random call-up behind all returning riders.
- Subsequent race call-ups will be based on the student athlete’s overall points. This will be applied to both middle school and high school categories.
- Middle school athletes will follow the same call-up and series points protocol as high school athletes.
- Middle-school team awards will not be tracked or awarded.
Rules Update for 2024
Based on feedback from Season XII and Leader Summit, the Rules Committee has reviewed and amended a few rules to better accommodate our teams. Those amendments are summarized below. Please review the full 2024 NICA handbook for more detailed information, including the Texas specific amendments. It is the responsibility of all teams and athletes to be familiar with the rules.
Student-athletes must join school teams:
School teams must submit their intent to register to the league director before the student-athlete registration opening for this rule to be enforced for that team. If a team registers after this deadline, any eligible student-athlete who has already registered with a different team will be given the choice to move to the school team or complete the season with the team they have already registered with.
Composite Team Limitations
High school composite teams are limited to a maximum of 30 student-athletes. Middle school composite team size is not limited.
Guest Riders:
An active member of another NICA league may participate in one regular season race as an independent rider.
Jerseys for subdivided teams
Teams that are subdivided based on having 5 student-athletes from a school may choose to wear a unique jersey that represents their school team or the jersey of the composite team they were subdivided from. All members of the subdivided school team must wear the same jersey.
Race Duration Guidelines
Middle School
45 minutes
JV Girls and Boys
75-100 minutes
Varsity Girls and Boys
90-120 minutes
Student athletes are expected to be able to safely complete the course within the designated time limit. Athletes may be asked to withdraw and exit the course after cut-off time limits have been reached. Racers who do not make the time limit cut-off will still be scored and ranked.
League and race officials reserve the right to determine these time limits and alter them at any time. Time limits may be imposed or altered for reasons that include, but are not limited to, safety, heat, cold, rain, and muddy conditions.
Chip Timing
All riders will receive a permanent number plate with a chip timing transponder on the backside. Riders use the same plate for the entire race series. Please remove this number plate before transporting bikes to prevent loss.
Replacement number plates will be available at the registration tent for $10.00.
Category Placement
Race categories have been evaluated and assigned in Pit Zone. If you would like to petition to change an athlete’s category, you must complete the form two weeks prior to any race for consideration.
No race day petitions will be accepted
| 6th Grade | 6th Graders only |
| 7th Grade | 7th Graders 6th Graders who have successfully petitioned into the category. |
| 8th Grade | 8th Graders only 6th or 7th Graders who have successfully petitioned into the category. |
| Freshman | 9th Graders Middle School student-athletes who have successfully petitioned into the category. |
| JV2 | 10th – 12th graders who have not qualified for other categories. |
| JV1 | 10th-grade students who: 1. Placed in the top 25% in any two Freshman races the prior year or 2. Placed in the top 30% of the Freshman overall season standings the prior year. 11th – 12th grade students who: 1. Placed in the top 25% in any two JV2 races in the prior year or 2. Placed in the top 30% of the JV2 overall season standings the prior year or 3. Raced in JV1 the prior year but did not qualify to upgrade to Varsity. Student-athletes who successfully petition into the category. |
| Varsity | 10th – 12th grade athletes who: 1. Placed in the top 25% in any two JV1 races the prior year or 2. Placed in the top 30% of the JV1 overall season standings the prior year or 3. Raced Varsity the prior year. Students who successfully petition into the category. |
| Fun Lap | Any middle school or high school student-athlete who elects to participate in the Fun Lap instead of their race category. |
Weather Policy
The League’s primary considerations in assessing inclement weather plans are the safety of riders, staff and spectators, as well as the potential for damage to the venue and trails. Decisions regarding canceling, postponing or altering race start times, lap lengths, number of laps, etc. will be made jointly by league staff and the land manager. If inclement weather is predicted, we will make a decision about weather related cancellations by Thursday at 5:00 p.m. For more details about our inclement weather thresholds and cancellations, see the Weather Policy.
NICA Handbook: Rules and Guidelines
All participants are required to read, understand and abide by all league policies, rules and protocols while attending any league event.
The handbook details important rules that should be followed at all races as well as any associated penalties or disciplinary actions that can be assessed against riders or teams for violations of the rules.
READ THE 2023 TEXAS SPECIFIC APPENDIX
LEAGUE RULES COMMITTEE PETITION FORM (Form will be available soon – Do not use this from for category placement petitions)
Safety Reporting and Insurance Coverage
Safety Reporting
Incident reports are mandatory whenever a student-athlete or coach is injured during a NICA activity. These incident reports are submitted by each team’s Designated Reporter or an independent rider’s parent. For more information on safety reporting please see our brochure here.
Insurance Coverage
NICA insurance coverage is for registered student-athletes and registered coaches injured while participating in the sanctioned pre-ride and race events. For more information on NICA Insurance Coverage, please see our FAQ here.
