2024 Season

Winter Fitness

Maintaining fitness over the winter is important to beginning the spring race season. While the team does not gather for group activities, we do encourage our athletes to ride when possible and seek out other cross-training activities that occur during the winter months. 423 Cycling offers a series of cyclocross events in our area that can provide some competitive motivation during the off season for mountain bikers. Also, for those who have access to indoor smart trainers, we recommend the online training platform Zwift, which offers free accounts to those under age sixteen. Abingdon Cycling riders using Zwift are invited to join our Overmountain team (it’s free) and race online together.

Spring Practices

Daylight is the limiting factor so we begin group rides and team practices after the time changes back to Daylight Savings Time. We have one regular team practice each week, starting promptly at 5:30 and ending at 7:00. Days of the week for practice are subject to change due to weather but most likely are Mondays. First practice will be Monday, March 11, 5:30 at Sugar Hollow Park in Bristol (exit 7). Optional practices may be added on Thursdays to coincide with the group ride organized by Mountain Sports Limited when it begins, and on Saturdays, as schedules allow. Athletes are encouraged to ride several other days a week on their own to improve and maintain fitness for races.

YOUTH Spring Races (vahs)

The spring race season is conducted by VAHS MTB, a privately owned race promotional company that conducts the series under sanction of USA Cycling. The series offers four races. All races are several hours away from Abingdon and will require lengthy day trips or overnight travel and the possibility of missing some school. Parents are responsible for transportation of riders and bikes. There is an optional pre-ride of the course on the afternoon of the day before and for a brief period the morning of race day to become familiar. The dates of the spring races are as follows:

April 13- Saturday- Miller School of Albemarle- Crozet, VA

April 20- Saturday- Stokesville Campground- Mt Solon, VA

April 27- Rain Date- Venue TBD

May 4- SATURDAY- Venue TBD

may 11- saturday- blue ridge school- st. george, va

May 18- Rain Date- Venue TBD

summer ADULT AND YOUTH RACING

Many options exist in the summer both for competition and racer development. One that is popular among league participants is Cutaway Bike Camp, which is based at Miller School in Crozet, VA. Riders and families are encouraged to seek out and share other options that you may find. As a team member in good standing from the previous season, you are entitled to race under the Abingdon Composite team name and wear the team jersey in any sanctioned race, even when competing as an individual. To locate races in your area or during a particular date range, you can consult the USA Cycling online event calendar. One local event, Sugar Rush XC, often in July, is put on by our friends at All Trails Cycling and held at Sugar Hollow Park in Bristol, VA.

adult organization for FALL YOUTH RACING (NICA)

There will be a meeting of parents and adult volunteers prior to the (fall) NICA season to greet new riders and families, discuss expectations, and answer questions. This will be on a Saturday in July; date and time to be announced. We will try to pair this with a bike clinic so you can bring your bike to prepare it for safe riding prior to the practice season. NICA has some specific rules that apply to the practices and races in the fall season that you will want to be familiar with.

Nica preseason practices

Even though school will not yet be back in session the start of the race season requires that we begin training beforehand. Practices will commence in late July or early August. We have one or two team practices a week (as weather allows), generally starting at 5:30. At least one of these will be at Sugar Hollow Park in Bristol, near Exit 7. The other may be at Stone Mill Tech Park, the Virginia Creeper Trail, or some other Abingdon or Damascus area venue. Days of the week for practice are subject to change but most likely are Monday and Thursday.

fall YOUTH races (nica)

The fall race season is conducted by the Virginia League of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association. (NICA) The season starts in mid-September and typically consists of four races. The fall season usually concludes by the end of October or first weekend in November, just as Daylight Savings time has ended. All NICA races are on Saturdays or Sundays and are typically held in venues several hours drive from Abingdon. Racers and families should plan for lengthy day trips or overnight travel. The Fall 2024 schedule will be posted below when available.

- Stokesville Campground, Mt. Solon, VA

- Monticello High School, Charlottesville, VA

- Woodberry Forest School, Orange, VA

- Miller School of Albemarle, Crozet, VA