New to Provo MTB? New to mountain biking? Welcome! This page is here to help you feel comfortable and confident in your decision to ride with us.
Team Signups
Who can sign up for Provo MTB?
Any student in the Provo area who is going into grades 7-12. Students may live in Provo, go to school in the Provo school district, or attend a homeschool, private school, or charter school in Provo.
If none of these apply to you and you want to ride with a local team, use the contact us link and we can help you find a team or check out all of the local teams and their contact info at https://www.utahmtb.org/high-school.
What do I have to do to participate in the team?
Once team signups open at the end of March, click on the “Join” link at the top of this page and fill out the form to get the process started.
How much are team fees?
The Provo Team fee is $250 and the Utah NICA fee is $290 for Middle School riders and $340 for High School riders for a total of $590 for high schoolers and $540 for middle schoolers.
What do team fees cover?
Team Uniform (bike shorts, jersey, and socks), other team swag, race day meals (light breakfast, lunch, and snacks for riders and family), all team events and clinics (60 + activities/events)
Are there any costs outside of team fees?
There are no fees in addition to the team fees. You do need to provide the items listed below, but there are no extra fees such as race fees, uniform fees, or food fees – those are all included in your team fees.
What do I need to provide?
In addition to team fees, you are responsible for providing:
- Transportation to and from practices and races – we try to organize carpools to make this more convenient for all
- A mountain bike in good condition, sized for you, and with gears and brakes that work
- A helmet in good condition, sized for you
- A way to carry water (water bottle and cage or a hydration pack)
- Your own bike maintenance and repairs
- Suggested equipment: gloves, sunglasses, an extra bike tube, a multi-tool, a bike pump at home
Are there scholarship opportunities to cover team fees?
Yes. There are two primary ways to get funding for your team fees:
The first is helping us find sponsors for Provo MTB. If you secure a sponsor, 20% of their sponsorship value will be credited to your team fees.
NICA also provides scholarship opportunities for fees. Get more detail at https://www.utahmtb.org/scholarships
How many students can ride?
To maintain adequate coach coverage and an inclusive atmosphere, Provo MTB will accept up to 150 student rider signups per season.
Are there tryouts to join the team?
No. Provo MTB is an inclusive team that welcomes riders of all experience and ability levels. The team will break up into skill-level groups for practices and races to create the best riding experience for everybody.
About Provo MTB and NICA
What if I’m a beginning rider?
Awesome! We have ride groups focused on skill-building for those just starting out with mountain biking.
What if I’m an advanced rider?
Awesome! We have Varsity and Junior Varsity ride groups to keep you challenged and progressing.
Is mountain biking safe?
We work really hard on Provo MTB to ride safely, to ride trails we know, to keep an eye on every rider, and to teach cycling skills that keep everybody safe. That said, mountain biking is an active sport, and we do occasionally see some scrapes and even some stitches on the team – there is inherent risk in mountain biking. The best custodian of student safety on the mountain bike is themselves. Every rider is encouraged to ride within their skill level and to accept challenge by choice. Nobody will ever be forced to ride something outside of their skills.
Talk to me more about safety…
Provo MTB and NICA are committed to the physical, emotional, and social safety of every student athlete. Every coach that rides with students is required to be NICA Level 1 certified, and we maintain a 1:6 ratio of students to coaches on every ride. For more information on NICA coach licensing, check out https://nationalmtb.org/coaches-license-program.
What is this “NICA” thing?
NICA is the national youth cycling league that Provo MTB is affiliated with. The Utah affiliate is the Utah High School Cycling League and they organize all of our races and provide oversight for the Utah teams. You can learn more about both of these excellent organizations at https://nationalmtb.org/about-us and https://www.utahmtb.org/about.
Calendar
What is the practice calendar like?
The team will practice about once a week for April and May and then twice weekly (Monday and Thursday evenings) and every other Saturday for the June-October season.
What is the race calendar like?
Middle school riders have three races in August and September, every other Saturday. High school riders have an additional race in early October and then state finals in late October (riders must qualify to attend states).
Do I have to attend all of the practices and/or races to be a part of the team?
No. We understand that you will have calendar conflicts throughout the season and won’t be able to attend every event. The riders who get the most out of the team are the ones who come to the most events, so we encourage you to attend every practice and race that you can. But we all understand that nobody can make every practice. You’ll want to attend 80% of practices or more (especially early season practices) to get the most out of your Provo MTB experience.
How do team communications work?
We use TeamSnap to manage the team calendar and communication. Accounts are available for student riders and their parents. After signing up for the team, you’ll get an invitation to join our TeamSnap.
Practices
What are practices like?
Practice groups are split up by skill levels that ride together. Riders may move between groups depending on their skill, growth, and how they’re feeling. We try to cluster similar riders together so that everybody has the best practice experience possible.
At the start of practice, we will cluster for announcements and attendance and then split into ride groups. Ride groups will focus on a combination of bike skills and trail riding.
Where do we normally practice?
Practices rotate between the Provo Canyon Area, Rock Canyon area, Orem bench, Provo bench, South Fork, and other trails.
What do I need to wear to practice?
Many riders just wear comfortable athletic clothes (shorts, t-shirts, tank tops) to practice. Some choose to wear their team cycling clothing or other cycling clothes they may have. It’s perfectly acceptable to wear athletic clothes, mountain bike gear, or road bike gear (spandex). It’s really about what you have and what you feel comfortable in.
What do I need to bring to practice?
Every practice you’ll need to bring your bike, helmet, and water.
I’m a parent with (some level of) MTB skills. Can I help?
Yes! We need a ratio of one coach for every six riders at every practice, so it takes a bunch of volunteers to make every practice happen. NICA coaches get training in coaching and will be matched with ride groups of their comfort level and ability. You don’t have to be able to attend every practice to coach, and we would love to include you as a Provo MTB Coach. You can indicate your interest in the rider signup form or using the contact us link on this website.
If you think, “I’m not a good enough mountain biker to coach,” we want you! The most important thing about being a Provo MTB coach is that you’re stoked to help kids stay safe, have fun, find acceptance, and grow. The skills will come, and you’ll work with a ride group you’re comfortable with. So, if you’re excited to help kids become excellent humans, you’ll make a great coach.
I’m a parent who isn’t interested in riding. Can I help?
Yes! This team is 100% organized by volunteers. We need help organizing, communicating, cooking, feeding, driving, etc. You can indicate your interest in the rider signup form or using the contact us link on this website.
Are there carpools for practices?
Since practices are in the Provo area, many students ride their bikes to practice. Additionally, students and parents can coordinate carpools in the TeamSnap app. For any distant practices (e.g. some Saturdays we may ride in Heber or Payson) the team coordinates a local meeting spot for carpools.
Races
What are races like?
Races are a blast. There will be over a thousand riders at every race and everybody’s super supportive and encouraging, cheering on the riders and having a great time. We have a team tent at each race that serves as home base for the team. It’s where we will sit around and play games, hang out, and eat.
Races go from about 8 am to 4 pm and you’ll know your race time before the race, so you’ll know when you need to arrive in order to warm up, grab something to eat, prep, and be ready for your race.
Can I pre-ride the course?
Yes, pre-riding is definitely encouraged. The racecourse will open at about 3 pm on Friday for riders and coaches and will stay open until sundown. This allows you to get familiar with the course before race day.
Do I need to go to a race early?
Yes, you’ll need to arrive at a race about 2 hours before your scheduled start time to park, get your bike set up, warm up, etc.
What about races that are really far away?
For far-away races, many families will camp or get a hotel room close to the race site. Provo MTB will usually get a group site for families that want to camp, and it’s a blast to hang out together as a team the night before the race.
Does everybody get to ride?
Yes! There is no bench in mountain biking! Provo MTB is committed to inclusive youth sport – everybody rides, everybody races, everybody grows.
I’m a parent – do you need me to volunteer at races?
Yes! You can sign up to volunteer at races at https://www.utahmtb.org/volunteer. There are lots of different kinds of jobs on race weekend and parents are highly encouraged to volunteer at every race they can.