A Vehicle for Progress

Dear Riders,

In 1896, the American Civil Rights leader Susan B. Anthony had this to say about the bicycle:

"I think [the bicycle] has done more to emancipate women than any one thing in the world. I rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a bike. It gives her a feeling of self-reliance and independence the moment she takes her seat; and away she goes, the picture of untrammelled womanhood."

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From women's suffrage to coed sufferfests, the bicycle has always been a vehicle for progress. March is Women's History Month, and we're celebrating all the women and girls who have not only discovered personal freedom on a bike, but who've also found ways to use cycling as a tool for helping others. Pro racer and NICA alum Kate Courtney established a scholarship. Rebecca Rush created a foundation and fundraising series. The GRiT leaders of the Ohio League launched an inspiring, empowering podcast. We applaud all you sheroes!

We're also excited about pre-season activities, which can officially start April 1. As usual, Pit Zone registration is required for participation in any pre-season activities. Race registration will open in a few months (no later than June 30) when we announce the race format for this fall. You'll have both the Season Pass option as well as the option of registering for individual races.

While the loaner-bike program has been discontinued, financial assistance is available from the league. (Talk to your team director.) Also see the new NICA/Trek Pathfinder Scholarship (more below).

New this year: Summer Camp registration is integrated into the Pit Zone process. You'll see the options when you start filling everything out.

We're looking forward to seeing you out on the trails soon. Thanks for your continued patience and flexibility as we move forward with new ways of doing what we all love: Riding bikes!

Pedal on!

Eddie and the IICL Team

2021 Season Status Update

As we monitor the COVID situation in Idaho, we are confident that we will be hosting a full race series this fall. We have several contingency plans for our race weekend format in the event we need to operate with limited capacity restrictions at any of our venues. We will announce which of these formats we will proceed with by 6/30/21. If 2020 taught us anything it’s that things can change rapidly and we need to be ready to adapt on the fly. That being the case, we are adjusting some rules around series points, team competition, etc. that won’t change the overall experience for our racers, but will allow us to deal with potential impacts due to the ongoing challenges related to running events of our size/scale in a COVID reality.

We understand that uncertainty may cause some families to wait to register for races until a decision is made on what the race format will be. We support you in that approach and our registration process reflects this. As in years past, we have a two-part registration fee. In order to participate in any NICA events (team practices, summer camps, races, etc.) a rider must pay for the IICL Membership fee. This fee is non-refundable and goes toward covering the expenses of insurance for all riders and coaches, coach registration fees, coach licensing costs and normal league operating expenses. For all riders who want to participate in optional league races and summer camps, an additional fee is required for each of those events. These fees varies by event and are subject to the IICL Weather Cancellation and Refund Policy. Full details of the IICL fees can be found on our Participation Fees webpage.

Stay up to date by visiting our league website at: www.idahomtb.org where you will find Race Details, a Season Events Calendar and Team Locator.

Ride (for a Cause) with Rebecca

Join world-class athlete Rebecca Rusch for the Giddy Up Challenge this Memorial Day Weekend, May 28-31. Pick an elevation climbing goal from Quarter Everest to Full Everest. All NICA student-athletes who register by April 1st will be entered to win a Be Good™ Foundation Training pack, including goodies from Velicio, Maxxis, SRAM, GU Energy, Chamois Butter, MiiR, and BaseCamp 8-Week Training Plan. All NICA licensed coaches will receive 25% off of registration with the code NICAGUC21. A portion of the fundraising will benefit NICA. Click here to register.

Podcast: Girls Moving Mountains

Episode 5 of Girls Moving Mountains features an inspiring discussion with Erin Garvin, the first woman to complete the Great Divide mountain-bike route, which follows the Continental Divide from Banff, Alberta, Canada to the US/Mexico border in Antelope Wells, New Mexico. A yoga and pilates instructor, Erin has a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and a Master of Science in Exercise Science. Produced by the Ohio League, Girls Moving Mountains is funded by NICA National with support from Rapha Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, and Continental Tires. Listen and subscribe to the podcast here.