More kids on bikes
Bikes are a powerful tool that can help young people build strength, resilience, and character. Join our community and help us get more kids on bikes!
About us
Placer Foothills Mountain Bike Club is 501(c)(3) non-profit, all-volunteer organization that helps start and run middle school (Grades 6-8) and high school mountain bike teams focused on XC (cross-county) racing and adventure riding.
Our mission, vision, and values are aligned with NICA, and our teams compete in the NorCal league.
Donations and sponsorships go toward specific, achievable, public goals focused on expanding access to mountain biking.
Mission
Get kids stoked to ride bikes on trails. Build character, community, and a life-long love for cycling.
Vision
A team for every school in our region. Every youth is empowered to be part of a thriving and engaged cycling community
Values
Fun, Inclusivity, Equity, Respect, Community.
Affiliation
We are affiliated with NICA and NorCal, and our programs adhere to NICA standards and practices and NorCal rules.
Pre Season
October – November
- Saturday adventure rides (2-3 hours)
- Try-it-out events
- Bi-weekly bike park maintenance
Season
December – May
- Saturday adventure rides (2-3 hours)
- 2-3 midweek training rides (1-2 hours)
- 4 race weekends
- 1 Championships weekend
Region
We cover a big chunk of the Placer County Foothills, including Rocklin, Lincoln, Loomis, Newcastle, Auburn, Foresthill, Cool, and lands between.
Schools
If you’re in middle school (Grades 6-8) or high school in our region, we have a team for you. Any type of school is cool (public, private, home).
Depending on what school you go to, you can join the Del Oro, Placer, Rocklin, High School Composite, or the Middle School Composite team.
If you’d like to start a team at your school, we can help you.
Districts
If your school is in one of these districts, we have you covered.
- Placer Hills Union
- Auburn Union
- Newcastle
- Loomis Union
- Rocklin Unified
- Placer Union
Programs
Our programs are focused on XC (cross-country) racing and adventure riding. Our goal is to build a life-long love of mountain biking, and we do so in a supportive, inclusive team environment.
Middle School
Also called Devo (short for Development). If you’re in Grades 6-8, you’ll join our Middle School Composite team. Any type of school is cool (public, private, home).
Middle school is a great place to start adventure riding to learn the basics and progress as a rider. We focus on fun, skill development, and community building. Expect to play lots of games, share silly jokes, and bond with new friends.
Racing is strongly encouraged, but optional.
High School
Depending on what school you go to, you can join the Del Oro, Placer, Rocklin, or the High School Composite team. Any type of school is cool (public, private, home).
All high school teams ride together for training and practice, but compete separately.
High school is where we really dig in to both adventure riding and training to push the boundaries of endurance and skills. Expect to have tons of fun, build lasting friendships, and work hard over the season to achieve your goals. You won’t believe how much you can progress!
Racing is required, and all high school riders must register for the first 2 races at a minimum.
Competition
Interscholastic competition is a cornerstone of our programs. Racing in the team environment helps riders learn empathy, humility, flexibility, and resiliency. Race schedules for each season are posted in December.
Race weekends are true mountain bike fiestas where we all come together to cheer our riders as they challenge themselves to achieve their goals. They get to see that it takes a village to build a successful racer… and put on a successful race.
Racing is required for high school, and optional but strongly encouraged for middle school.
We are part of the NorCal NICA league. There are 4 race weekends during the season, one every 2-3 weeks starting in late February. A final Championships race weekend is in mid-May.
We travel to various locations across Northern California, pre-riding and camping overnight on Friday to be ready for a full day of racing on Saturday.
Volunteer
As an all-volunteer organization, we rely on passionate people who love seeing kids succeed to keep the pedals turning. We’re coaches, ride-wranglers, food-slingers, social media mavens, and more.
Coaches
Our coaches put in serious hours on- and off-trail to ensure that our programs are safe, fun, and challenging.
NICA provides exceptional coach training and licensing, and we add our own special sauce to make sure all our coaches are confident and prepared to help kids develop as riders and individuals. It’s a ton of fun!
All of our coaches started riding with the team in a support role. Any level of experience is fine. You don’t need to have a child on the team. We will help you develop your bike and coaching skills. Let us know if you’re interested! We’d love to have you.
Volunteers
Meal and event planning, fundraising, marketing, ride sharing, social media managing and more. It takes a village to run our club and our programs and we are incredibly grateful to our amazing community who pitch in to make it happen.
For each race weekend, we need both club and league volunteers to support our riders, and we send out signups for specific roles ahead of time.
If you’d like to volunteer in any capacity, let us know! We need people like you to keep the wheels turning.
Board
Our board is a cross-section of our club volunteers, including coaches, ex-coaches, volunteers, and members-at-large. We rely on community input to ensure that our organization and programs and are on the right track.
If you’re interested in club leadership and want to attend an upcoming board meeting, let us know! We are always looking for people with passion and expertise that can help us take the club to the next level.
Frequently Asked Questions
Getting started
How do I sign up? Are there tryouts?
There are no tryouts. The magic of mountain biking is that no one ever sits on the bench!
Anyone who is in middle school (Grades 6-8) or high school and is in our region can sign up. You need to be in good academic standing, follow our community guidelines, and attend practice consistently to ride with us.
I’m new to mountain biking. Is that okay? Can I try it out?
Absolutely! All levels of experience and ability are welcome. Our club culture and community is inclusive and we’re stoked to have newcomers to the sport we love.
You can join us for a try-it-out ride anytime during preseason and early regular season (roughly October to February). Fill out this release of liability form and email us to schedule it.
All riders are taught the basics of safety, skills, and maintenance. When we ride together, we form groups based on ability and experience so that all of our riders can benefit from coach time and attention.
If you sign up during the preseason (mid-October through November) and decide it’s not for you, we can provide a refund if you contact us before December.
Keep in mind that mountain biking is an endurance sport that requires time to build confidence and fitness! New riders often progress super quickly and are amazed at how far they’ve come by attending all the team practices during the season.
What kind of bike do I need?
You don’t need a bike to join a try-it-out ride or try-it-out event. We can provide a bike for a try-it-out ride if you let us know ahead of time. If we’re hosting a try-it-out event, we will have several bikes available to ride.
Here’s what you need to be ride-ready. If you have any questions about bikes, contact us! We’re happy to talk details and make recommendations.
I’m not in middle school (Grades 6-8) yet. Can I sign up?
This may change in the future, but you can’t join at this time due to NICA policy and insurance requirements. We don’t offer a program for riders in Grade 5 or below, or allow riders in Grade 5 or below to join our middle school program no matter their experience level.
How do you stay safe?
Like most youth sports, mountain biking involves a level of risk. Unlike most youth sports, our practices don’t take place on a court or a field with friends and family close by. We’re out on trails, often miles from the trailhead, and we rely on our coaches to ensure that the experience is fun, challenging, and safe.
We take the safety of riders extremely seriously and our coaches are trained to manage risk responsibly, keep riders safe, and respond effectively to any incidents. We require a background check and NICA licensing for all coaches and follow all NICA and NorCal guidelines for practice and racing.
While we do help our student athletes develop the skills to navigate challenging terrain, including how to manage being in the air when necessary, we focus on keeping wheels on the ground. Here are some of the ways we keep riders safe during practice rides:
- All coaches know the ride plan and emergency access plan
- All riders do an ABCDE (Air, Brakes, Chain, Derailleur, Everything else) bike check
- Rider and coach count and checks at intersections and stops
- At least 2 coaches for every 8 riders
- At least 1 first aid kit and radio for every 8 riders
- At least 2 coaches with wilderness first aid training
- At least 1 sweep coach clearing the trail
Riding
What do I need to ride with you?
Here’s what you you’re going to need to hit the trails. We can help with equipment recommendations and refer you to local bike shops.
Mountain Bike
A well-maintained “hardtail” mountain bike equipped for trails with flat pedals is a good place to start. Hybrid, downhill, dirt jump, or BMX bikes aren’t a good fit.
Bike must be ride-ready at the start of each ride.
Helmet
If you’re on a bike, and you’re with us, you’re wearing a helmet.
Must meet CPSC safety standards and be worn properly.
Hydration
Water is a must. At least one bottle, preferably two or a hydration pack. We won’t let you ride with us if you don’t have it.
Feel free to add your fave electrolyte mix! No caffeine for student athletes.
Food
Make sure you’re fueling yourself well before the ride. Too little, too much, or too junky is no bueno.
Bring small sugary and salty snacks in your pack for the trail. Think Snickers.
Shoes
Flat-soled mountain bike shoes are the best option for flat pedals, but any sturdy, grippy shoe with well-tied laces will do.
If you’re clipping in, we don’t need to tell you what to do.
No Crocs.
Gloves
Not required, but strongly encouraged.
If something goes south, you tend to land on your hands. Gloves help.
Full-finger gloves also great for cold weather.
Glasses
Highly recommended!
Simple clear protective lenses in grippy frames can keep out the dust, dirt, and glare. Seeing is important.
You can also get super steezy aero shades.
Repair
Be ready to get a bike back on track. All riders and coaches must carry:
- Tire levers
- Quick link
- CO2 cartridge + nozzle
- Pump
- Bike tool
- Tubeless tire repair kit
- Tubes (27.5″ or 29″)
Apparel
Be prepared for weather, temperature changes, and trailside hazards (Poison Oak) with appropriate layers.
No cotton in the cold and wet!
If you take a layer off, you need to be able to pack it and carry it yourself.
Packs
Between the food, tools, and clothes, you have a lot to carry! Hip packs or small backpacks are recommended.
Coaches should plan to bring a larger backpack and carry a team-provided first aid kid and radio.
When is the season? How often do you ride?
All the details on when, where, and how long are shared with riders and their families on TeamSnap.
During the preseason (October through November) we do a practice ride once a week on Saturday mornings for 2 to 3 hours. We plan our Saturday rides carefully to increase in challenge level over the entire season, and we go to as many different trails as we can. Part of the fun is exploring!
Starting in December, we add up to 3 midweek practice rides of 1 to 2 hours. These midweek rides are focused on skill and fitness development, and can include indoor training in addition to trail time.
From February through May we have a race weekend every 2 or 3 weeks. We don’t have practice rides for any riders not racing during those weekends.
We take breaks during holidays and will cancel or reschedule as needed if the weather doesn’t allow us to ride safely.
Do I need to come to all the rides?
Consistency is really important! Mountain biking is an endurance sport and the time on bike pays off in big progression and confidence over the course of a season.
Middle school riders need to attend at least 2 of 3 practice rides each week. High school riders need to attend at least 2 of 4 practice rides each week.
That said, we recognize that life happens and we often have multi-sport athletes. Talk to your head coach about scheduling conflicts.
Where do you ride?
We ride on a wide variety of trails in our region. Some of our favorites include:
Midweek practices often start and end at Railhead Park or Auburn Bike Park.
What is a practice ride like?
Saturday is adventure riding. We get some serious time out on the trails exploring the outdoors, challenging ourselves, and having fun. We’ll meet as a group at the trailhead to organize into groups and go over the ride plan. At the end, we’ll regroup and talk about how the ride went.
Middle school rides are typically 10 to 15 miles, and high school rides are 15 to 30 miles. Expect more stops for fun and games (on- and off-bike) in middle school!
Midweek practice rides focus on skill building and fitness training. Hill climb challenges and skill development drills are common. High school trains indoors once a week, and middle school puts focus on skill building through games and pump track sessions.
Competition
Do I have to race?
Interscholastic competition is a major part of our programs. Racing is required for high school, and all high school riders must register for the first 2 races at a minimum. Racing is optional but strongly encouraged for middle school.
What are races like?
They are awesome! Race weekends are true mountain bike fiestas where we all come together to cheer our riders and see them rise to challenges they might have never thought possible. Hundreds of riders participate, traveling from all over Northern California and camping on site.
Races are mass-start XC (cross-country), with varied terrain including climbs and descents that require good bike handling skills and endurance. The courses are loops with multiple laps, with different distances and laps depending on the category. Categories are divided by grade or varsity status and gender.
Everyone arrives Friday evening to pre-ride the course, staying overnight nearby for an early start Saturday morning. We all gather at our area in the pit zone, where friends and family volunteer to feed our riders, do warm ups, or help staff the race,. Race day ends with podiums, where the top racers in each category are recognized.
While the competition can be fierce, the emphasis is on having fun and challenging yourself to ride your best race.
When and where are the races?
There are 4 race weekends during the season, one every 2-3 weeks starting in late February. A final Championships race weekend is in mid-May. Race schedules for each season are posted in December.
How do we get to races? Where do we stay?
Race venues are generally 1-3 hour drive from the Placer County Foothills at various locations across Northern California. It’s important to arrive as early as possible on Friday afternoon or evening so you can pre-ride the course before the race on Saturday.
Riders, coaches, friends, and family are responsible for their own transportation to and from races. The club does not provide transportation and coaches may not drive riders (except their own children) to and from practice rides or races.
Wherever possible, we will organize camping accommodations for Friday night at or near the race venue. We do our best to reserve enough space for all riders, friends, and family, but space and availability for RV camping is dependent on the venue.
Volunteering
How can I help?
As an all-volunteer organization, we rely on passionate people who love seeing kids succeed to keep the pedals turning. Here’s how you can get involved:
- Ride with us as a NICA licensed coach
- Join our board and lead critical club initiatives and projects as a Member at Large or Board Officer
- Assist with fundraising, marketing, communications, event planning, and more
- Sign up for club volunteer shifts at races
- Pit zone set up
- Food prep and service
- Rider warm up
- Bike repair and maintenance
- Pit zone tear down
- Sign up for league volunteer shifts at races
- Parking
- Crossing guards
- Registration and race logistics
- Roving course marshals
We’re always open to ideas! Contact us to discuss.