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NICA is about so much more than racing—it’s about fun, friendship, and community. Come spend the weekend with us riding bikes, camping, adventuring, and racing (only if you want to!) Find everything you need to plan for the upcoming event season below. Explore season dates and locations, learn what to expect during a typical event weekend, and find a team near you to get involved.

2026 Event Weekends

Season dates and race locations.

Event 1 Go Time @ Glorieta
Event 2 Hayfield Hustle, Gallup
Event 3 Manzanita Mountain Madness, Albuquerque
Event 4 Pedal Pajarito, Los Alamos
Event 5 Lasso Loop Lineup, Socorro

Typical Event Weekend

What to expect during typical event weekends (see each flyer for detailed schedules, and extra fun.)

Saturday
  • 9:00 AM: Volunteer Shifts Begin
  • 12:00 PM: Team Pits Open
  • 1:00 PM: Coach Pre-Ride
  • 2:00 PM: Pre-Ride & Adventure Zone Opens
  • ~5:30–6:30 PM (1 hour before sunset): Pre-Ride Closes
  • Until Sunset: Community Ride (Not Insured)
  • Evening: Team & Family Camping Time
Sunday
  • 7:00–8:00 AM: Pre-Ride Opens
  • 8:15 AM: Volunteer Shifts Begin, Coaches Meeting
  • 9:00 AM–2:00 PM-ish: Racing Fun
  • 9:00 AM–2:00 PM: Adventure Zone Opens
  • 10:00 AM–1:00 PM: GRiT Zone Opens
  • Awards: After Infield is Clear, and Results are Final

Register

Registration deadlines are Tuesday at midnight the weekend of your race, except for Race 1.

Race Info/Flyers

Learn more about our races, volunteering, lodging, weather policy, and more.

Rulebook

We use our rulebook as a guide to manage risk and promote a safe, inclusive environment for all student-athletes.

Volunteer

Our races wouldn’t be possible without the support we get from our volunteers. Sign up early to help earn a priority pit for your team.

Quick Start Guide

New to racing? Get the basics on what to bring, where to go, and how to prepare for race weekend.

Race Results and Photos

Take a look at event results and photos from current and past seasons with the link below.

Event Flyers

We’ll make some changes to the flyers between now and the event weekend. All changes will be recorded in the change log at the back of the flyer, in our emails, and on our social channels.

Staging/schedule

Review the race staging schedules and guidelines below for important information about staging procedures, race waves and start times, lap counts, course time limits, and other race-day policies.

Category Placement

NICA category placement rules are covered in the New Mexico/NICA Handbook. Category placement is based on the previous season’s race results. Riders who participated last season can find their category placement in the tables below.

For new riders, or returning riders who did not participate last season, category placement is based on grade:

  • 6th–8th graders: Middle School
  • 9th graders: Freshman
  • 10th–12th graders: JV2
Category Upgrade Petitions

A student-athlete may petition to upgrade to a higher category.

Section 5.13 states that, in general, exceptions to the placement criteria are discouraged and should be granted only under extraordinary circumstances. Student-athletes must compete in appropriate competitive peer groups to prevent strategic gamesmanship in category placement.

Student-athletes requesting placement in a different category must follow these requirements:

  • Student-athletes must discuss the proposed category change with their head coach.
  • Student-athletes must submit their petition online through the New Mexico Interscholastic Cycling League petition page. The page lists submission deadlines for petitions to be considered before the next race.
  • Grade 6 and Grade 7 riders cannot petition to upgrade.
  • Grade 8 riders may petition to Freshman.
  • Freshman riders may petition to JV1 or, in exceptional cases, to Varsity.
  • JV2 riders may petition to JV1 or, in exceptional cases, to Varsity.
  • JV1 riders may petition to Varsity.
  • Head coaches must have another Level 3 coach submit a petition on behalf of their own child.
  • Pending the outcome of the petition, the petitioning student-athlete must compete in their currently assigned category.
Category Downgrade Petitions

A student-athlete may petition to downgrade to a lower category.

Section 5.15 of the rulebook states that points do not transfer when a student-athlete changes categories. Points earned in the lower category are forfeited, but team points earned before the category change remain.

Riders who are downgraded to a lower category cannot score individual or team points unless their petition cites extenuating circumstances.

Requirements for Category Upgrades

To be approved for an upgrade, student-athletes must demonstrate that they lack adequate competition in their current category. This may be established through:

  • New Mexico race results; or
  • Results from non-league races of similar length, preferably including current New Mexico riders who compete in the requested category.

After discussing a potential upgrade with their coaches, student-athletes should complete the petition form and include the head coach’s correct email address.

Once the petition is submitted, a separate form will be sent to the coach for comments. It is important to verify that the coach’s email address is correct before submitting the student petition.

Category Placement Tables (CPTs)

Our Category Placement Tables (CPTs) show assigned categories for returning riders only. New riders (or returning riders who didn’t race last season) will be categorized by grade, as specified in the rulebook. For all riders, category assignment follows Rule 5.12 on page 27 of the rulebook.

We’ll be auditing the Pit Zone and changing the Pit Zone category to match the CPT category where necessary. So if you see that your Pit Zone category doesn’t match the assigned category in the CPT, have no fear, the auditor is near!

If you do not see your name and you have NorCal League race results from last year, please email admin@norcalmtb.org for a correction.

Weather Policy

The New Mexico Interscholastic Cycling League reserves the right to postpone, reschedule, or cancel any event, at any time, due to what we deem to be risky weather. Our primary considerations are the safety of our student-athletes and families, event staff, spectators, and potential damage to the race venue (trails and infield).

Any decisions regarding canceling, postponing, or altering race start times, lap length, number of laps, etc., will be made jointly by the New Mexico League Race Director, the Chief Referee, the Course Manager, and the land manager. Often, this decision cannot be made until the day of the race due to the unpredictable and emergent nature of wet or stormy weather. That said, should it be deemed necessary, we will do our best to reschedule or cancel a race by 7:45 am on Friday, immediately preceding race weekend.

Stay Informed!

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New Mexico League