Races are OPTIONAL. If you simply want to ride with the team at practices and group rides and would prefer not to travel to races we are still stoked to have you on the team. That said, races are a ton of fun and are a great way to check out other trails and meet other riders in the Mountain Bike Community throughout the state.
We’ll have the opportunity to travel to 5 races throughout the season (see our Schedule for dates and locations). Families and students are responsible for getting themselves and their bikes to each race. If you need help with logistics let us know. We hope to have a volunteer help coordinate race weekends for families.
The Minnesota Cycling Association has a thorough web page with tons of great info on race weekends including schedules, course details, and all the rest of the rules etc. Check it out here: http://minnesotacycling.org/racing-series/
Check out this video for an idea of what mountain bike races will look like and then read on for general information about how races will work throughout the season.
Courses
- Typical courses are ~4 mile laps, mostly singletrack with passing zones
- ~250’ – 400’ climbing per lap
- Uphill starts/finishes intended to space out riders
- Fenced start/finish and pit areas, clearly marked feed zones
- Chip timing
- Courses routed for spectator visibility
- Opening races flatter, less technical
- Championship race more climbing and technical challenges
Racing Categories
- Middle School: 1 lap (~30 minutes)
- Freshman/JV2: 2 laps (~40 minutes)
- JV3: 3 laps (~60 minutes)
- Varsity: 4 laps (~80+ minutes)
- Race category is based on a riders grade level through 9th grade. Older riders are placed into the JV2, JV3, and Varsity categories based on their previous performance.