Steve Lowery Steve Lowery

First Event Weekend

Trail work

Before we get into the logistics of our first event weekend, I’d like to take the time to thank our student atheletes, coaches, families and friends that took the time to make the trails we ride on even better. The MTB community appreciates the work everyone did!

Deadlines for the week of Aug 27

The following deadlines are happening this week. There are links to take action in the sections below, but this section highlights the “TODOs” for the week.

  1. Registration for Cable: Thursday Aug 29

  2. Registration for Season Pass: Thursday Aug 29

  3. Registration for Camping for Lowe’s Creek in Eau Claire: Thursday Aug 29

Telemark Race Event

Our first event of the season is this weekend in Cable, WI at Telemark Trails.

Registration

As mentioned above, the deadline to register for Telemark (and the season pass) is Thursday, Aug 29. You can do this in Pitzone and clicking the “Register <Rider Name> for Events”. See the Racing page on our website for more information on Racing.

Snacks

Laura Conners (Middleton mom and former coach) has set up a spreadsheet for people to sign up for food and drinks to bring to the event weekends. While riders should still be bringing their own food, it’s nice to have some other things to eat and drink over the course of the weekend. Thanks to Laura for getting this setup!

Camping

We have about 9 families camping at Telemark this weekend. Should be a lot of fun! While it’s too late to register for camping for Telemark, Lowe’s Creek in Eau Claire is the following weekend and is still open as are all the other weekends. As mentioned above, registration for Lowe’s Creek is due on Thursday the 29th! Normally, there is an extra week between events, but Eau Claire is only 1 week after Cable, so we don’t have the normal buffer week in there.

Practice times start at 5:30 beginning Sept 3

We’re starting to hit that time of year when it is getting dark out at the end of practices so we are moving them to be from 5:30-7:30 starting next week. This is an important reminder for everyone to remember to bring their bike lights to practices. A few of our coaches have posted some deals in sportsYou regarding lights.

If you have any questions about bike lights, just post something in sportsYou and you’ll likely get a lot of responses from our coaches and families!

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Steve Lowery Steve Lowery

Jul 24

Watch out for falling trees!

We’re off and riding

We’ve got a few weeks of riding under our belts (when the conditions have allowed) and now we are getting into our start of season groove. There are a few important things to note…

“Fortnight of Fashion”

Our jersey/kit store AND team/spirit stores will be opening next week, Monday July 29th for two weeks until August 11. That will be the time to order Jerseys and bibs for racing and other team swag like hats, t-shirts, hoodies, socks, etc. Stay tuned for updates and links next week when these stores open up. We could possibly re-open the team store late in the season for Christmas gifts, but this is the LAST CHANCE to order kits/jerseys.

The jersey/kits stores are sold to families from what our vendor, Borah, provides with no profits to Driftless. Driftless does make a small profit from sales on our Spirit Store, so we are using this as a bit of a fundraiser this year.

“Spirit Squad”

Our last two races of the last year featured themes; one was Hawaiian themed and one was Superhero themed. We received a lot of positive feedback and were hoping to do this again this year. We are looking a couple of coaches and/or riders interested in spearheading our festival themes. We have money in our Driftless budget to pay for props and gear that we can use during the weekend! Reach out to info@driftlessmtb.org or mounthoreb@driftlessmtb.org if you are interested in contributing to this! Candidates do NOT need to participate in every festival event. It takes a village to run our teams and we can’t rely on a couple of coaches to do all of the work. Thank you for your consideration!

Raffle Tickets

Middleton/Waunakee are going to do raffle tickets sales a little differently than Mount Horeb will be. Information will be coming out soon on this on sportsYou. Make sure you’re subscribed to BOTH the Driftless MTB team and your respective team (Mount Horeb MTB or Middleton/Waunakee MTB) for full details.

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Steve Lowery Steve Lowery

Week 1

Preseason fun ride is in the books

Thanks to all that joined us last Thursday for our pre-season adventure ride in Middleton. The rain held off just long enough for us to get a nice ride in.

Registration closing this week

Registration for our team will be closing this week. The original messaging had been that July 1 was the deadline, but because this message is coming out today, I am extending the registration until July 3rd. Please take care of this RIGHT NOW if you still have not signed up but would like to for the 2024 season. There’s a fair amount of work to be done to reconcile the Driftless, Pitzone and sportsYou registrations and that gets harder if the lists keep changing.

Coaches: OTB 101 Opportunity

Any coaches interested in an OTB 101 course but missed out on the ones this spring, Beth Potter at Madison West is looking to hold another course. Please reach out to her at coachbeth@madisonmtb.org if you are interested.

For those that don’t know, OTB (On-the-Bike) 101 is a required class for any coach looking to be a Level 2 course, but it is a good course for anyone to take.

Practice Schedule

The full details of the practice schedule are in sportsYou. Please make sure you’ve joined both the Driftless MTB team as well as one of Mount Horeb MTB OR Middleton/Waunakee MTB.

This week there is only practice on Tuesday since Thursday is the 4th of July 🧨. Mount Horeb’s practice is for returning riders; Middleton/Waunakee is for new riders. Full details in sportsYou.

Updates to practices, including last minute cancellations due to weather will be made in sportsYou, so it is important EVERYONE is setup on their respective teams.

Use sportsyou to mark availability

Coaches, Riders and Family members are reminded to mark your availability in sportsYou as soon as you know it. This helps the head coaches plan for practices.

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Steve Lowery Steve Lowery

week 0

This is our last week of the preseason and our season starts next week already! Whether you’re a parent, a student athlete, or a coach, please read the important updates below to make sure you are ready for the start of the season.

Get to Ride Ready

Registration is closing next week

Make sure student athletes are registered this week. Driftless Registration will close on July 1. Please take care of this important step this week. If you need help getting registered, please reach out or plan to attend the Bike Rodeo on Wednesday.

having the right gear

We will be covering these in more details during the Bike Rodeo, but the Head Coaches have asked that all riders have the following with them at practices/events in order to participate

  1. Bike in working condition

  2. Appropriately fitting Helmet

  3. Water bottles and/or hydration pack

  4. Snacks high in carbohydrates

  5. Bike light (not needed until later in the season, but not too early to start thinking about this)

  6. Tube that fits your bike (even for tubeless bikes)

  7. 2 tire levers

  8. Secure method to carry above items (i.e. seat, frame or hip pack)

  9. Cycling Gloves (optional)

  10. Multitool (optional)

  11. Mini-pump or CO2 cartridge to inflate flats (optional). Note: L2/3 coaches will carry an inflation device during practice, but it’s a good habit to carry what you need.

Coaches need to be Ride Ready too

Coaches, ensure your Pitzone requirements are met. Coaches who are not at least Level 1 Ride Ready in Pitzone are not allowed to ride with the team (this is NICA’s rule, not Driftless’).

Week 0 Events

See sportsYou for time and place of events and for updates.

Tuesday: Coach only practice

There is a Coach’s Practice on Tuesday the 25th. It may be cancelled due to all the rain. Again, announcements and updates will be in sportsYou.

Wednesday: Bike rodeo

Come to Waunakee Middle School on Wednesday the 26th for our Bike Rodeo. Technicians will inspect bikes to make sure they’re ride Ready, Coaches will ensure helmets are properly fitting and get other questions answered from coaches about the upcoming season.

Thursday: Adventure/Pre-season ride

Our first ride of the season will be on Thursday the 27th from 6:00-8:30pm, weather permitting. We will meet at Quisling Park in Middleton. This will not be on trails, so first time riders should be ready to roll as well as our seasoned veterans.

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It’s beginning to look a lot like… 🚵 MTB Season

Team jerseys and kits are available until June 18

For the 2024 season, we are once again partnering with Borah, a Wisconsin based company, to provide our team jerseys and kits. New in 2024 are trail style shorts and team jackets! Our initial team store is open now until June 18. Borah anticipates we will receive our orders about 4 weeks after our store closes. We will open the store again in July AFTER the season starts for another round of ordering. If you want to ensure your athlete receives their gear before our first race, please consider ordering now!

PreseaSon schedule

The following events are on the books prior to our season starting. In an attempt to ensure people have installed sportsYou, I am purposefully omitting time and place from this post. For full details, please register for our teams on sportsYou to see our team calendars.

  • Bike Rodeo - Wed June 26 (we will have some local bike shop people there to inspect bikes, make sure helmets fit, etc and make sure people are ready for the upcoming season)

  • Preseason Ride - Thur June 27

  • First Practice - Tues July 2 (First time riders only - Middleton/Waunakee; Returning riders only - Mount Horeb)

Rider registration IS open for the 2024 seasON

Driftless - 2023

Student athlete registration for our Driftless teams is open for all riders who will be starting grades 6-12 in the fall. Click the button below and the follow the instructions provided. Reach out at info@driftlessmtb.org if you have questions or problems with registration.

Registration is simple:

  1. Sign up for your team + Blackhawk membership.

  2. Register with Wisconsin NICA in Pitzone.

  3. Join sportsYou for all team communication this 2024 season.


Click the ‘Register Now’ button to get started!

Reminder to coaches: make sure you are ride ready

Coach registration opened in Pitzone on March 1. Returning coaches should have received an invitation to register. Anyone who expressed interest in coaching in the Coach’s survey or was a coach last year should have received an invitation. If you are interested in joining Driftless as a coach this year and need a Pitzone invitation, then please contact info@driftlessmtb.org.

Please take some time to ensure all of your requirements are met for the 2024 season NOW rather than trying to do it once the season starts.

Sign up for CPR/First Aid Courses

Coaches currently at or planning to level up to Level 2 or 3 need to take a NICA authorized CPR and First Aid Training course every 2 years.  These courses happen in the spring.  Signing up for courses becomes increasingly difficult the longer you wait, so it is best to sign up early.  There is an online portion you do on your own ahead of the in person training course.

The following courses are still open for registration in the Madison area.  Each of these fulfill BOTH the First Aid and CPR requirements for NICA. These are likely the only courses that will be available in the Madison area this spring.

There are additional courses throughout the state of WI if you want to take a course, but none of the above dates work for you.  Check out AdventureMed's website and search for WI to find a course that fits your needs.

Sign up for OTB 101 (on the bike 101)

This is a class recommended for all coaches to understand the NICA method and subjects taught during practices. Coaches currently at or planning to level up to Level 2 or 3 must take an OTB 101 class. There are a number of dates and venues around Wisconsin that currently have openings, but they are filling fast. Our very own coach Dirk Horne will be teaching two of them this spring at Blackhawk.

The remaining date in the area is Sunday, June 16. There are several other choices available in the area if those dates don’t work for you. Click on the button below to sign up for the Madison area (or another) course.

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2024 season Registration is open for Student athletes!

here we go: Rider registration IS open for the 2024 season!

Driftless - 2023

Student athlete registration for our Driftless teams is open for all riders who will be starting grades 6-12 in the fall. Click the button below and the follow the instructions provided. Reach out at info@driftlessmtb.org if you have questions or problems with registration.

Registration is simple:

  1. Sign up for your team + Blackhawk membership.

  2. Register with Wisconsin NICA in Pitzone.

  3. Join sportsYou for all team communication this 2024 season.


Click the ‘Register Now’ button to get started!

Reminder: Coach registration is open in pitzone

Coach registration opened in Pitzone on March 1. Returning coaches should have received an invitation to register. Anyone who expressed interest in coaching in last year’s Coach survey or was a coach last year should have received an invitation. If you are interested in joining Driftless as a coach this year and need a Pitzone invitation, then please contact info@driftlessmtb.org.

Sign up for CPR/First Aid Courses

Coaches currently at or planning to level up to Level 2 or 3 need to take a NICA authorized CPR and First Aid Training course every 2 years.  These courses happen in the spring.  Signing up for courses becomes increasingly difficult the longer you wait, so it is best to sign up early.  There is an online portion you do on your own ahead of the in person training course.

The following courses are open for registration in the Madison area.  Each of these fulfill BOTH the First Aid and CPR requirements for NICA. These are likely the only courses that will be available in the Madison area this spring.

There are additional courses throughout the state of WI if you want to take a course, but none of the above dates work for you.  Check out AdventureMed's website and search for WI to find a course that fits your needs.

Sign up for OTB 101 (on the bike 101)

This is a class recommended for all coaches to understand the NICA method and subjects taught during practices. Coaches currently at or planning to level up to Level 2 or 3 must take an OTB 101 class. There are a number of dates and venues around Wisconsin that currently have openings, but they are filling fast. Our very own coach Dirk Horne will be teaching two of them this spring at Blackhawk.

The two dates at Blackhawk are Sunday, May 5 and Sunday, June 16. There are several other choices available in the area if those dates don’t work for you.

Sat, Apr 13 is Love Your Trails Day

Join CORP for their annual Spring Fundraiser, hosted by Machinery Row Bicycles. Connect with and support our wonderful mountain biking community!

They will have great food provided by Underground Meats and Origin Breads, as well as delicious beverages from Sunshine Brewing and Octopi Brewing. And, of course, we will have an amazing assortment of door prizes (tickets are $5 each).

Event tickets are $20 in advance through Eventbrite or $25 at the door. Food, Beer, Door Prizes!

If you volunteer at any trail work day, let the folks know at check-in to receive a free door prize ticket as a thank you for your efforts

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Steve Lowery Steve Lowery

2024 season open for coaches

We’ve turned the page to March and so MTB season is almost here! A few updates this week…

Coach registration is open in pitzone

Coaches can register for Pitzone as of March 1. Returning coaches will get an invitation to register this week. Anyone who expressed interest in coaching this year in our Coach’s survey will also get an invitation. If you did not respond to the coach’s survey, but are interested in joining Driftless as a coach this year, reach out at info@driftlessmtb.org.

If you can’t find your invitation (please check your Spam folder) please reach out at info@driftlessmtb.org.

Reminder: Rider registration opens the first week of April. More coming on this soon!

Sign up for CPR/First Aid Courses

Coaches currently at or planning to become Level 2 or 3 coaches need to take a CPR and First Aid Training course every 2 years.  These courses happen in the spring.  Signing up for courses becomes increasingly difficult the longer you wait, so it is best to sign up early.  There is an online portion you do on your own ahead of the in person training course.

The following courses are open for registration in the Madison area.  Each of these fulfill BOTH the First Aid and CPR requirements for NICA. These are likely the only courses that will be available in the Madison area this spring.

There are additional courses throughout the state of WI if you want to take a course, but none of the above dates work for you.  Check out adventuremed's site and search for WI to find a course that fits your needs.

Sign up for on the bike 101

Again, coaches currently at or planning to become Level 2 or 3 coaches need to take On-The-Bike (OTB) 101. There are a number of dates and venues to take this. Coach Dirk Horne is teaching two of them this spring at Blackhawk.

The two dates at Blackhawk are Sunday, May 5 and Sunday, June 16. There are several other choices available in the area if those dates don’t work for you.

pathfinder scholarships open til 3/15

Trek has partnered with the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) to grow diversity in the sport of cycling and provide better access for people of color (POC). The Trek NICA Pathfinders Scholarship will again provide selected student-athletes with a Trek Marlin mountain bike, helmet, shoes, accessories, and a kit, as well as a stipend for NICA league and entry fees for the season.

But hurry - scholarship applications close March 15!

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