Calendar
GRiT is a NICA initiative to increase female participation in the league. This fun and FREE event welcomes all current and prospective NICA girls (ages 10+) as well as women interested in supporting the initiative.
The event will include a light breakfast, skills clinic, beginner group ride, games, raffle, and lunch! Please be prepared with a bike in good working order, helmet, and water. Our group ride will be approximately 4-5 miles on beginner mountain bike trails.
We encourage everyone to bring friends! Little to no mountain bike experience required; we have a limited amount of bikes available for those that don’t have one, please email jen@nevadasouthmtb.org to check for availability.
Event details:
What: NICA GRiT event
Who: Girls and Women Ages 10+
Where: Mesa Park in Summerlin. We will meet at Mesa Park and then ride as a group a short distance to the trails.
When: February 1, 2020 9AM-12PM
Why: to promote a strong body, strong mind, and strong character through mountain biking
How: TBA
Visit us on Facebook: @snevadagrit and Instagram: @nica_grit_snevada
When: January 8th, 2022 (all day)
Who:
All Women interested in getting more girls on bikes. This includes all current female Nevada South coaches, prospective coaches, Mom’s of student-athletes, and women interested in learning more about becoming involved with the Nevada South NICA League.
Experience Level:
None needed. Only a passion for empowering girls through club sport (middle and high school mountain biking)
What (Mission Of Event):
To create a culture and community of women leaders in the S. Nevada league with the ultimate goal of recruiting more girls and getting more girls on bikes. No skills necessary. We will teach you how to ride and coach.
Objectives:
Attendees will know their fellow GRiT coaches and understand their role in helping get more girls on bikes
Attendees will leave empowered and with the tools, knowledge and connections they need to implement GRiT programming within their own teams
Attendees will feel empowered, capable and confident as a coach
What to bring (be prepared to ride and gather in an outdoor setting):
Mountain bike and helmet and water bottle or hydration pack
Appropriate clothing to be comfortable outdoors
Lunch and refreshments will be provided
This will be a fun day of learning how to setup your bike with gear and packs (training packs provided by NSICL), participant must bring basic camping gear such as compact tents, sleeping bags to pack on their bikes.
Students and parents are welcome to attend this clinic to learn more about bikepacking and prepare for an overnight trip we have planned to ride from the ghost town of Rhyolite to Spicer Ranch on May 21st.
Backcountry Skills and Bikepacking Basics Day Clinic
Objective: Introductions and expectations
Activity: Riders will anonymously write on index card what their expected goals are from bike packing and then they will be read aloud by a coach
Activity: Riders will anonymously write on index card what their biggest fear or anxiety is from bike packing and then they will be read aloud by a coach – What is written on these cards will be addressed throughout the course day
Shelters
Objective: Students can set up a shelter that is taut, anchored, and protects occupants from wind and rain
Activity: Students will pair up – dismantle their tents and then set them back up
Sleep Systems
Objective: Coaches will demonstrate how to pack a sleeping bag and how to roll a ground pad
Activity: Students will pack their sleeping bag and ground pad
Self-care – Hydration
Objective: Examples of some self-care methods that are helpful – what does 3 liters of water look like?
Self-care – Nutrition
Objective: Examples of some self-care methods that are helpful – what does ~250 calories of food look like?
Backcountry Hygiene
Objective: Student-athletes can identify WHY hygiene is important, and students can maintain good hygiene in the backcountry.
Bike safety inspection
Objective: Inspect bikes
Activity: Fun obstacle course
Water filtration & purification
Objective: Discuss the differences in water treatment. What can make you sick?
Activity: Demonstration of different ways to treat water
Lunch
Objective: Cook, eat, clean up. How to use a camp cook system
Activity: Student-athletes will learn to use different methods of boiling water and perform such task to cook their lunch
What’s in my pack?
Objective: An example pack that is prepared
Gear Selection
Objective: Student-athletes will identify the individual and group gear choices that are appropriate for a planned bike packing trip.
Activity: Gear shakedown – Gear identity and usefulness
Setting up & packing a bike
Objective: Safety and setup consideration, accessibility, balanced, compressed, dry and everything inside
Activity: Student-athletes can pack their bike with all their gear for bike packing. The bike is safe, well-balanced, and manageable by the student-athlete.
Riding a loaded bike
Activity: Test set-ups, refresh & what it’s like to ride loaded
Activity: Ride same obstacle course laden
Orienteering – Map & Compass
Objective: Learn out to read a map and use a compass
Activity: Terrain association, how to read a bearing, how to take a bearing and triangulation
What is Bikepacking?
Bikepacking is a multi day outdoor activity that combines the excitement of riding a mountain bike, exploring places less traveled, route finding, problem solving and camping.
Often this will include riding on singletrack trails, gravel and/or abandoned dirt roads with bags attached to your bike frame, saddle and handlebars.
Bikepacking gives you the range of a mountain bike and the support to carry camping gear so riders will be able to enjoy long rides through epic landscapes and terrain all while instilling resilience, forming comradery and gaining self-confidence.
Bikepacking gives riders the opportunity to be outside on their bikes in a non-competitive environment. Riders will learn backcountry skills (including how to use a map / compass and how to treat water to make it safe to drink), principles of “Leave No Trace” and trail stewardship.
Why a training Basecamp Outing?
Student-Athletes who would like to participate in a bike packing adventure may not have acquired the essential experiences such as: setting up a shelter, sleeping outdoors, preparing their own meals and packing gear onto a bike and then riding it.
This basecamp outing will provide the student-athlete with a chance to learn these skills in an outdoor environment that is safe and close to home. It will also provide coaches a chance to revisit their backcountry skills and to help facilitate training to student- athletes from all teams in the conference.
TBA
TBA
We will be riding the Gold Fever Trail, this is a self guided tour of the Holcomb Valley area, that highlights its rich gold mining history.
Our base camp will be Hanna Flat Campground where we’ll set up camp and drive to the start area of the Gold Fever Trail. Everyone participating in the ride on Saturday, will need to pack enough water and snacks for a 4 to 6 hour ride through the mountains, where we’ll end up back at the Hanna Flat Campground. This will be a leisurely ride with many stops along the way.
The NSICL will only be hosting the ride on Saturday from 9am to 3pm, so please plan accordingly. Plans prior to and after will need to be arranged individually. There is a group planning to ride the bike park on Sunday morning before the trip back home.
If you plan on attending this event, please click the following link to reserve a campsite for your family. Campsites are limited, so don’t wait too long to reserve one. The town of Fawnskin is 2 miles and Big Bear Lake is 8 miles from Hanna Flat Camp, so if your not a camper you can find a place to stay in the area.
Campsite reservations: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/sbnf/recarea/?recid=26239
For more info on the Gold Fever Trail and Interpretive site: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/sbnf/recreation/bicycling/recarea/?recid=26409&actid=24
Summit Bike Park is about a 25 minute drive from Hanna Flat Campground.
Location: Logandale, NV
Overview: The Moapa Valley Madness course starts with a gradual climb to the top of the course. It then points downhill with fast flowing downhill and short punchy climbs. Then, after over a mile of gradual descent you’ll have a longer climb up the road crossing. Next up is the downhill berm section, called the ribcage. Up another short climb then down a short flowy descent and on to the slot canyon. When the canyon opens up, you’ll take the dirt road back to the finish line.
Location: Bootleg Canyon MTB Park, Boulder City, NV
Overview: Bootleg Canyon starts with a challenging uphill climb to the top of the course sure to set your legs on fire! Followed by a fun, fast and flowing single track descent into the valley, you’ll get back on the pedals working the ups and downs back toward the finish line. Both Middle and High school student-athletes will be challenged on the same 3.2 mile course with approximately 315’ of climbing per lap.
Location: Spicer Ranch, Beatty, NV
Overview: Spicer Ranch showcases a fun mix of rocky climbs, grass pastures and smooth flowing singletrack. Riding across pastures, around ponds, challenging uphill, and fun descents. This venue starts the season off on the right foot, and allows each racer to finish strong while having a great time. High school student-athletes will be challenged on the same 4 mile course as last year with approximately 450’ of climbing per lap. Middle School will experience a new shorter course with multiple lap counts.
Location: Caliente, NV
Overview: The Redemption Loop at Kershaw-Ryan State Park is the course set for the Caliente Crusher. With a sizable uphill start, you quickly find yourself positioning into a single file to breeze down the nearly 3 miles of gradual slalom like descent. At the bottom, you’re met with soft soils and pinion pines while you work your way back toward the last mile of a challenging uphill. Both Middle and High school student-athletes will take on the same 5.5 mile course with approximately 600’ of climbing per lap.
Location: Sawmill Trailhead, Spring Mountains, Las Vegas, NV
Overview: The Sawmill Challenge weaves through pinyons and junipers and plenty of wildflowers at an elevation of 7,591 feet. This course will put your fitness level to the test. Both Middle and High school student-athletes will be challenged on the same 2.1 mile course with approximately 319’ of climbing per lap.