THE TEAM
The Bingham Mountain Bike Team was founded in 2012. We grew from a team of 8 racers the first year to 165 biking miners in 2023. We are a diverse team of student-athletes in grades 7-12. As a team, we ride and race trails all across this beautiful state while building strength of mind, body, and character. We ride hard, get dirty, and always have fun!

THE LEAGUE

The Bingham Mountain Bike Team races as part of the Utah High School Cycling League (utahmtb.org). The league coordinates all our races and has carefully designed individual racing categories so beginner, intermediate, and advanced riders only compete with peers of similar abilities and experience.

The Utah league is just one of 31 leagues in 30 states that operates under the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA). NICA (nationalmtb.org) facilitates youth cycling development nationwide by providing licensing, training, and insurance to our coaches, teams, and volunteers.

WHY RIDE

Riding and racing on a mountain bike team provides life lessons in self-discipline, teamwork, and sportsmanship, along with fitness and camaraderie. Cycling is a family-friendly fitness activity that can be done lifelong and has great social qualities.

WHO WE ARE

The Bingham Mountain Bike Team is a non-profit 501c(3). We’re an all-volunteer, parent-run team that works together to ensure its success. We are not funded by Bingham High School or the Jordan School District. We have a High School team (9-12 grade) and a Development (Devo) team (7-8 grade). Although we are technically two teams, we all practice together, ride together and have fun together.

HOW WE BUILD OUR TEAM

Our team is all-inclusive. There are NO try outs. Students in grades 7-12 can join. Regardless of your fitness, endurance, or skill level, if you’re ready to commit, you’re on the Team. You ride! You race! There is NO bench. We value and promote individual as well as team excellence. Whether it’s finishing your first race or standing on top of the podium as a Team, we believe any Student-Athlete can attain big results through setting personal goals and giving a dedicated and disciplined effort.

IS IT SAFE

Cross-country mountain biking is not the extreme biking you may have seen on TV. In cross-country bike races, the average speed is usually around 10-12 miles per hour. This is an endurance sport. We do our best to minimize the risks to your athlete. Risky behaviors are discouraged or forbidden. The League helmet rule is strictly enforced, and we teach each athlete bike-control skills early in the season to minimize the risk of crashing. Even with our best efforts, crashes and injuries do happen. There will be a few cuts, some bruises, and lots of nicks and scrapes, but little else. Statistically, we suffer fewer serious injuries than most other mainstream sports, especially contact sports. All coaches and ride leaders are licensed and trained by NICA and undergo criminal background checks, as well.

YOU’LL NEED SOME GEAR

It is necessary to have the proper equipment for maximum comfort, safety, and riding ability. You’ll need the following, both for training and racing.

  • Required Gear for Riding

    • XC Mountain Bike: in good working order, a hardtail is recommended.

    • Bike Helmet: ANSI rating; no skateboard or BMX helmets

    • Water Bottle or Hydration Pack: Bottle should fit snug in cage on bike, or it will fall out while riding.

    • Close-toe shoes: no sandals, we do not recommend clip-less shoes for beginners. · Multi-Tool: for quick fixes and adjustments on the trail

    • Spare Tube: Tire levers, & Small Hand Pump or CO2 at some point, you will get a flat. Even with tubeless tires, carry a spare tube and some way to inflate it.

    • Seat Pack: shouldn’t be very big, it needs to hold multi tool, spare tube, and pump. · Medication: if you have allergies that require an EpiPen, bring it along. If you have asthma, bring your inhaler.

  • Recommended Gear

    • Mountain Bike Gloves:for protection from grazing branches and protect the palms of hands during falls

    • Cycling Padded Under Shorts: for comfort in the seat area while riding.

    • Eye Protection: to keep rocks and dust from going in your eyes.

    • Emergency contact card and / or a Road ID: durable bracelet with emergency contact info on it.

TRAINING

Pre-Season Skills Practices: There will be 6-8 Pre-Season practices in May. They take place at a local park and trails on various weekday evenings to teach bike handling skills, bike maintenance, and trail etiquette. These practices are mainly for new riders to get them more comfortable on a bike.

Regular Season Practices: June-October are held Monday and Thursday evenings. Practice time will be 6:00-8:00 pm until mid-August, then it will change to 5:30-7:30 pm because sunset is earlier. At practices, the team is divided into strength and skill-based groups to appropriately challenge each rider and provide more focused coaching. We will teach handling skills, and build endurance, strength, and power. The practices will progressively get harder. As we get closer to races, we will have fast-paced race simulations and racecourse pre-rides. This training is carefully planned so that everyone is more prepared for racing.

Practice Locations: Practices are held at various trails around the Wasatch Valley. A few of those locations are Eagle Mountain, Round Valley in Park City, Solitude Mountain Resort, Snowbird Resort, Bob’s Basin at Jeremy Ranch, Corner Canyon and Butterfield. We understand that travel time to and from these locations is a big commitment. We recommend reaching out to other parents on the team through TeamSnap and setting up a carpool with them.

We will also have a few team-building, community service/trail days, and fun rides throughout the season.

RACE DAY

All of the hard work that our riders do during training culminates in their participation in the Utah HS Cycling League race season. The race schedule, information about each race venue, and NICA rulebook are available at utahmtb.org. Race day is an all-day event and is so much fun. It is like a HUGE RAD party! We encourage families to come out and spend the day lining the sides of the racecourse, ringing cowbells, cheering, and encouraging teammates and even fellow competitors. We get to the venue at about 6:30 am to set up our team pitzone. The first race starts around 8:30 am. Racers are grouped into categories by gender and ability. Races start in waves throughout the day. Podiums are around 11:30am (devo) and 5:30 pm (HS and team). The NICA race Quick Start Guide is a good reference for what to expect on race day.

www.nationalmtb.org/wp-content/uploads/NICA-Quick-Start-Guide.pdf

RACE DATES & LOCATION (we are Region 4 on utahmtb.org)

Race #1: 08/17 Location TBD

Race #2: 08/31 Richfield

Race #3: 09/14 Herriman

Race #4: 10/07 Eagle Mountain (grades 9-12 only)

State Championships: 10/20-10/21 Cedar City (Three Peaks) (grades 9-12 ONLY BY QUALIFICATION)

COMMUNICATION

We use Teamsnap to communicate with parents and athletes. You will be able to view upcoming events (practice schedule, race schedule), and the team roster with contact information, track availability/attendance, and more.

VOLUNTEERS

We’re an all-volunteer, parent-run team that works together to ensure its success. We want your riders' time with the team to be an amazing experience! We want you to be part of our Mountain Bike family! WE NEED YOU!!!!!

First and foremost, we NEED Ride Leaders/Sweeps: adults of every ability out riding on the trails with the team and helping at practices. To keep the riders safe and give them the best experience possible, we are required to have two trained adults for every eight student-athletes at practices. Cycling development has many levels, so whether you are an Olympian Mountain Bike racer or VERY new to the sport, we WOULD LOVE YOUR help! If you are interested, please contact a head coach as soon as possible. There are just a few classes that ride leaders/sweeps need to take to be able to ride with us!

If interested in RIDING WITH US…please plan on attending a “WANT TO RIDE WITH THE TEAM?” parent meeting: THURSDAY MAY 9TH, 2024 @ 7PM IN THE BINGHAM HIGH SCHOOL ATRIUM!

There are plenty of things to do off the trails as well, from before the first practice through to the end of the season party. Contact a team director if you are interested . Tasks include: setting up fundraisers; helping/donating food for our races and team-building events; taking candid photos at practices, events, and races; managing the team pitzone at races; and so much more!

WHAT WILL IT COST

The Bingham Mountain Bike Team registration fee per rider is $395. This covers the cost of a team racing kit (a jersey, bibs/shorts, and socks), hoodie, t-shirt, training programs, food at the races, end-of-season banquet, and more.

The Utah HS Cycling League registration fee is $360 (grades 9-12) and $300 (grades 7-8). It covers insurance for the rider, the costs associated with putting on race events, and venue and entrance fees for all races. This fee must be paid before you can attend any practices or team events.

TOTAL COST (including TEAM fees AND NICA fees):

Grades 7-8 $695

Grades 9-12 $755

We do not want team fees to dissuade anyone from participating on our team. A limited number of need-based scholarships and loaner bikes are available through our team and the Utah HS Cycling League. We also offer payment plans. If you would like more information, please contact Danielle Tupai (801.918.3924).

SPONSORSHIP

Our team fees alone are not enough to cover all the expenses of the team. We are looking for businesses, family, and friends to help our team be successful by becoming a team sponsor. Sponsorship donations allow us to buy much-needed equipment and supplies and provide scholarships for students in need. Bingham Mountain Bike Team is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and your donation is tax-deductible.

As a thank you for bringing in a sponsor donation, your team fee will be reduced for any sponsorships you bring to the team, and the company’s logo will be on our team hoodie and banner displayed at races. Note: if your sponsorship comes in after you have paid your team fee, we will refund the corresponding amount.