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2025 Brazos River Park – Sugar Land | South
February 1 @ 10:00 am – February 2 @ 4:00 pm
The Candy Rush at Sugar Land
Get ready for an unforgettable weekend where Saturdays bring fun, adventure, and camping under the stars, while Sundays ignite the thrill of competition as 5th-12th grade student athletes take to the trails for an action-packed mountain bike race.
Brazos River Park, Sugar Land
18427 Southwest Fwy
Sugar Land, Texas 77479
+ Google Map
Before the Race
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 2025 season. Everyone who enters the venue is required to complete the waiver even those who are not competing.
Save the Date!
November 8-9, 2025
NICA and its leagues are proud to announce our first Central Regional Event!
Venue Gate Hours
Friday: 3 – 9:00 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Sunday: 7 a.m. –
Fees – CASH ONLY
$15.00 per person if arriving Friday or Saturday.
$10.00 per person for Sunday only.
Children under 6 free.
Venue fees go to the venue owners/organizations who manage and maintain the trails and camping areas that we are using.
Venue Rules
- No open fires – fires in fire rings only.
- No fishing
- No swimming
- No drones.
- A dumpster will be available in the day-use parking lot Please leave the park as clean as we found it!
- Pets must be on leash
- No ATVs without league and venue approval.
- No RV hookups available.
- Generators must be turned off by 10 p.m.
- No night riding
Camping and Venue Map
Please familiarize yourself with the venue map! The venue map is intended to help teams and families easily organize and plan for the weekend. Please only camp in designated areas.
The map is subject to change as sometimes the weather and venues can throw us special surprises. 🙂
Camping Update
This weekend’s camping has been moved from the fair-weather parking field to the Crown Festival Event Lawn. See below for specific instructions regarding where you may park RVs, set up tents, and park cars.
Attendees who are not camping, will park in the lot near the infield.
RV’s will be parked on the road around the event lawn in the INSIDE lane.
This will allow ONE WAY traffic to continue to flow around the road.
Access to the event lawn road will only be from Festival Blvd.
Only individuals who are camping will be allowed to park in this area.
Additional RV parking, and car parking is available in the pump track parking lot. These spots are pull-through spots, so most campers will fit.
There are bollards between this parking lot and the event lawn road. The entrance to this parking lot is off of Festival Rd.
Tent camping is available inside of the event lawn (in blue).
Absolutely NO vehicles are allowed on the grass.
Tent stakes must not exceed 6″. Wind speeds for the weekend are predicted to remain below 10mph.
Teams should plan to gather in their Pit Zone areas, and may use the space designated here to drop off their Team Pit Zone supplies. This space will only be accessible for drop-off on Saturday, and again on Sunday after awards.
Race-weekend Schedule
Friday
3:00 p.m. Venue gates open. Check-in at infield/registration. Staff and volunteers setting up course. For the safety of our course setters, no pre-ride available at this time.
9:00 p.m. Venue gates close.
Saturday
9:00 a.m. Venue Gates Open
9:00 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.
9:30 a.m. Volunteer Shifts Begin
10:00 a.m. Coaches Only Pre-ride. This is a time for coaches to learn the course and provide feedback to the event crew before pre-rides begin. Radio feedback (cows on course, bee hives, freshly fallen tree, etc.) to channel 6(6).
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Adventure games located at the infield. Look for the Adventure tent! The Sugar Land race will feature a bike soccer tournament, minefield setup, Crossnet and more!
11:00 a.m. Course is open for scheduled pre-rides.
Teams may start their pre-ride anytime within their designated hour (e.g., a 1:00PM slot means a team could start their pre-ride at 1:15PM). Scheduled times help us distribute the number of riders on course throughout the day to enhance your ride experience. Starting outside your assigned time requires permission from the race director; email kimt@texasmtb.org for exceptions.
The course is open at the end of the day for athletes who missed their team’s pre-ride or for athletes and coaches looking for more laps.
*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.
1:00 p.m. OTB101 Coach Training Opportunity
1-4:00 p.m. Gear Swap – Donate and Shop
OPEN TO STUDENTS AND COACHES
Have new or gently used cycling gear that you no longer want or need? Bring it to our gear swap at the Sugar Land. There are always really nice items to trade. Things like brand new jackets, barely worn shoes, gloves, arm warmers and more!
1-2:30 p.m. GRiT Tent activities carnival games with prizes and candy!
2:45 p.m. GRiT Ride @ NICA GRiT Tent. Wheels down at 3:00 p.m.
9:00 p.m. Venue Gates Close.
Sunday
7:00 a.m. Venue Gates Open
7:30 a.m. *Course Open 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.
Podiums following infield cleanup. Typically ~3 p.m.
2025 Staging – Public by Kim Topp
GRiT Ride
The GRiT Ride is group mountain bike ride that takes place at 3:00 p.m. each Saturday of NICA race weekends. It is open to all girls and women who want to ride bikes in a safe, inclusive, and fun space! You don’t need to be a coach or student athlete to participate, but if you are not registered in PitZone you need to fill out an agreement to participate and a medical release.
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!
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.
Sugarland (S)
Feb. 1-2, 2025
Houston Composite
Woodlands
Pearland Coyotes
Armadillos – Fort Bend
29 Pines (N)
Feb. 15-16, 2025
Rose City Racing
ETX Piney Woods
Jesuit Dallas
Highland Park
Mesquite
Classical Dallas
Millican (N+S)
Feb. 22-23, 2025
A&M/College Station
North Austin
Austin High
St. Stephens
Steiner/Vandergrift
RPR (N+S)
Mar. 8-9, 2025
Bulldogs
Lake Travis
San Marcos
Hays County
Troy (N+S)
Mar. 22-23, 2025
Heart of Texas/Midway
Fort Worth Flyers
South Metro
Abilene – Team Big Country
Vista Ridge
Westlake
4R (N)
Apr. 5-6, 2025
Amarillo
Wichita Falls
North Texas
Azle
Mineral Wells
Warda (S)
Apr. 12-13, 2025
Boerne 9ers
Two10
Alamo Heights
Lopez
Alamo City Femmes
Victoria
State Championship
May 3-4. 2025
All Teams
Thank You to Our Event Partners
We’re thrilled to host this race at Brazos River Park in Sugar Land, Texas, and it wouldn’t be possible without the support of our incredible partners!
A big thank you to the City of Sugar Land for their generous support in making this event a success. Sugar Land isn’t just a race location—it’s a destination filled with charm, adventure, and hospitality.
Plan Your Visit:
- Discover what Sugar Land has to offer at Visit Sugar Land TX.
- Explore the best hotel options in Sugar Land.
- Follow Sugar Land for updates and inspiration: Instagram | Facebook.
We’re proud to partner with the Fort Bend Mountain Bike Association, who work tirelessly to maintain and enhance the local trails that make events like this possible. Their dedication ensures the trails at Brazos River Park provide an unforgettable experience for every rider.
Learn More About FBMBA:
Go Ape Zipline & Adventure Park
Looking to add to your family-friendly fun on Saturday? Check out Go Ape Zipline and Adventure Park located right next to our infield.
Use promo code “FBMBA20” for 20% off tickets purchased online.
No in-person discount.
Additional Race Details
Race Plates
Race Plate Pick-up
Coaches will pick up all race plates at the first race. Riders will receive one plate to be used for all races and event weekend activities. Plates have chips on the back and require care to avoid damage. Each athlete will also receive a back number that must be adhered to their jersey during races. There is a $10 fee to replace lost, stolen, or forgotten plates. If you need a replacement, go to the registration tent.
No unregistered parents or siblings allowed on course
To be on the course or in the adventure zone at any time during event weekends, riders (Students and Coaches) must be fully practice ready in Pit Zone and have their number plates on their bike.
GRiT ride participants should sign a waiver at the GRiT tent
Season Scoring
Race Series Rules
Texas offers a conference race series for each conference (North and South) followed by a joint conference State Championship race. Teams can only attend races offering categories for their conference. Some conference races may host both conferences, but each conference will have separate podiums for each category. The League will offer five regular season races for each conference and may have one or more predetermined rain dates in case of weather cancellations.
Please refer to Chapter 5 in the TX NICA League Handbook for details scoring, structure and categories..
Race Duration Guidelines
SECTION 5.2 — NICA course length
The number of laps raced in each category is determined according to riders’ ability to complete the race within a specific time. Event times will be:
- Not to exceed 45 minutes for 5th-8th Grade categories
- Not to exceed 75 minutes for JV2, JV3, and JV4 categories
- Not to exceed 90 minutes for JV1 categories
- Not to exceed 105 minutes for Varsity
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
SECTION 5.12 — League structure and categories
Race categories will be evaluated and assigned in Pit Zone. Petitions should be submitted to the Texas League Rules Committee using the petition form by Friday at 11:59 PM, one week before the race weekend.
No race day petitions will be accepted
Weather and Refund Policy
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.
Refund Policy
We realize that mountain biking is a new sport for many, and parents may be concerned that their child may not stick with it. The Texas Interscholastic Cycling League strives to put on world-class events and provide all of our student-athletes, coaches, and volunteers with the best resources possible at practices throughout the season. With this goal in mind, we make a financial investment to cover insurance, training, and planning activities. Those expenses are continuously incurred. In order to maintain the sustainability of the League, it is necessary we implement a NO REFUND policy with limited exceptions only for illness, injury, or family emergencies.
Refunds for injured athletes
The Texas League fee may be partially refundable for season-ending illnesses, injuries, or family emergencies that prohibit athletes from participating in practices and races. A doctor’s note must be provided for illness or injuey. There is a minimum $100 non-refundable fee to cover NICA fees, insurance, and registration. Refunds cannot be made after the second race. League leadership will review refund requests and make a determination.
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.
LEAGUE RULES COMMITTEE PETITION FORM COMING SOON (Form will be available soon – Do not use this form for category placement petitions)