In the fall of 2023, a meeting took place at Fond du Lac Cyclery amongst cyclists, engaged parents, and supportive community members. The goal: create a youth cycling team in Fond du Lac.
NICA, the National Interscholastic Cycling Association was founded in 2009 and develops interscholastic mountain biking programs for student-athletes across the United States. The Wisconsin League was founded in 2013 and has had teams across the state building strong bodies, minds, and characters for years, but there was a hole in the Fond du Lac Area. Fond du Lac area families who wanted to participate and were able to travel were traveling up to the Fox Cities or down to West Bend but many families were left behind. Jeff Krantz, Ted Hanes, Alyssa Hallgren, and Brad Leonhard have been leading the charge to create a team for Fond du Lac area youth and, as of March 1st, 2024, are an official NICA team within the Wisconsin League.
NICA’s values of fun, inclusivity, equity, respect, and community are woven throughout all of the programming and provide a strong foundation for youth athletes. Athletes of all skill levels and abilities are welcome and there is no obligation to compete if the rider chooses not to do so.
While we are an officially recognized team, there is still plenty of work to be done to develop the team structure and set our youth athletes up for success. If you are interested in sharing your talents, mountain bike related or otherwise, with the team, please reach out via email to fdlmountainbike@gmail.com.
