The National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) and the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) have recently signed a partnership agreement which states that IMBA and NICA will work together to cross-promote their efforts and engage the broad cycling community.
NICA executive director Matt Fritzinger said, “We are very pleased to formalize our partnership with IMBA — the continued growth of high school mountain biking depends on trail access.” He added, “Riding bikes is a freedom all youth should enjoy, and parents greatly support their kids riding on trails away from the dangers of traffic. IMBA does an incredible job of working with communities to build and maintain sustainable trail systems that work for all trail users.”
“The success of the Northern and Southern California High School Mountain Bike Leagues has been truly remarkable,” said IMBA executive director Mike Van Abel. “When I learned about the plan to replicate those successes on a national scale under the NICA banner, I hoped IMBA’s club network might become a useful resource,” he added, also noting that the partnership would help expand IMBA’s demographic diversity and compliment existing youth programs such as National Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day.
About NICA and IMBA
The National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) is the National Governing Body for grades 9-12 interscholastic mountain biking. NICA was established 2009 with the support of founding national sponsor, Specialized Bicycle Components, as well as the generous support of the founding sponsor of the SoCal League, Easton Sports Development Foundation II. The aim of NICA is to foster the development of high quality competitive cross-country mountain biking programming for High School aged athletes. NICA provides leadership, governance and program support to promote the development of interscholastic Mountain Biking Leagues throughout the United States.
The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) is a non-profit educational association whose mission is to create, enhance and preserve great trail experiences for mountain bikers worldwide. Since 1988, IMBA has been bringing out the best in mountain biking by encouraging low-impact riding, volunteer trailwork participation, and cooperation among different trail user groups, grassroots advocacy and innovative trail management solutions.
