2024 Summer News Brief

Hello GHS MTB Families!

I’m getting this email out early because I am leaving Saturday and will be out of the country until August 1st!

There is a lot of information in this email, so maybe bookmark it, as it will have answers to questions that will come up now and later. If you are a returning family, you may know some of this information already, but we have at least four freshman joining us this year. We will be having a family and team meeting in August before our first race to answer any questions that arise and go over all this information in person. Keep an eye out for a date! It will likely be a weekday evening. 

  • Pre-season Training:
    • The pre-season starts on July 15th, which is when we are asking that you aim to have a certain number of active hours a week in order to make sure we come into our team practices with solid baseline fitness. July 15th is about 6 weeks before our first race! We are asking riders to follow these guidelines for active hours (preferably on bike, especially after August 1st, but it’s summer and we get it, so backpacking, hiking, swimming, running, etc. are okay too). 
  • Freshman & Sophomore ride 3 – 5 hours per week; 
  • Juniors and JV ride 4 – 6 hours per week; 
  • Senior or Varsity ride 5- 8 hours per week.
  • Practice
    • Practice begins Monday, August 12. This is only two weeks before our first race! As you will see below, our first race is the weekend before school starts. 
    • We will practice four days a week after school.
      • Monday – 4-6pm
      • Tuesday – 4-6pm
      • Wednesday – 2-4pm (often with Crested Butte for relays)
      • Thursday – 4-6pm
  • Race Weekends: We are in the Crystal Region.
    • Fees
      • $200 through the school district and MyPaymentsPlus.
        • Team fees fund race jerseys, coach licensing, and coach stipends. These fees also are how we are able to fund pizza and bowling at the Eagle race (and at the end of the season). Something new this year – you will not be racing if these fees are not paid to the school before the first race. In addition, you will need to register with the league and for races. 
      • $170 to the Colorado League (insurance, coaches’ licensure, and background checks). You need to be registered before official practice begins on August 12th. 
      • You can buy a Series Race Pass ($260) by noon on 8/19/24 for all the races except State Champs, or pay individually ($75).
        • The deadline to register for races is noon the Monday before the race.  No grace period, do not miss this deadline.
    • Races and Camping/Lodging
      • We reserve team camping spots for athletes and coaches to camp and socialize. We encourage families to join us in nearby spots so we can all come together and be a team. We are usually camped near CB which is fun for riders to connect off the bikes and have a valley wide experience. 
      • Race 1: August 24 – 25 – Leadville – Socks
        • Saturday Race
        • No Dog Venue
        • * Time Trial for Freshman (details below)
        • Pre-ride August 23 at 4:30 pm
        • Sugar Loafin CampGround August 23 booked for racers and coaches
          • Map Tent Sites B, C & D
        • Potluck
      • Race 2: September 7 – 8 – Eagle – Temporary Tattoos
        • Sunday Race
        • Pre-ride September 7 at 4:30pm
        • Pizza & Bowling?? – TBD
        • League-designated camping – book your own spots through the Race Flyer linked above. 
      • Race 3: September 21 – 22 – Colorado Springs – Neon
        • Saturday Race
        • New Race Venue!
        • Pre-ride September 20 at 4:30pm
        • Camping TBD – Likely a league-designated spot to book on your own.
        • Meals TBD
      • Race 4: October 5 – 6 – Nathrop – Superhero
        • Sunday Race
        • Pre-ride October 5th at 4:30pm
        • Our “Home” race – will need lots of volunteers!
        • New (in recent years) Venue!
        • Chalk Creek CampGround booked for racers and coaches
        • Meals TBD
      • State Championships: October 19 – 20 – Glenwood Springs – Disco
        • State is all hands on deck with volunteering. 
        • League-designated camping. Book your own spots. Keep an eye on the race flier.
        • Pre-rides day before your race at 4:30 pm
        • RACE Saturday:
          • FB | FG | JVB | JVG
        • RACE Sunday:
          • SB | SG | VB | VG
    • Race Info: Familiarize yourself with the Race Flyers. They contain ALL the information you need to know about where the venue is, where the race course is, where the pit zone is, and who is racing at what time etc.
      • To find these go to ColoradoMTB.org > Click on the Race, click the hyperlinks above, or look in TeamSnap as they are all linked from each race.
    • Contests
      • Each race has a team contest (in italics above). 
    • Transportation
      • Coaches are not allowed to transport racers. This must be done between families. 
    • What to Expect at Races (CO League Prezi)
      • You MUST HAVE a number plate to be on course, at any time.
      • The Pre-Ride will take place the afternoon before race day.
        • Pre-ride is open to athletes and coaches. 
        • Meet at the Pit Zone 15 minutes prior to the designated meet time ready to ride. 
      • The Pit Zone is our neutral spot designated by the league for the team to gather, snack, hang, etc. It’s often crowded and considered the race’s central hub. We will have a tent, table, water jug, minimal tool kit, bike rack. You are individually responsible for layers, food, shade/sunscreen, personal hydration, etc.
      • Seeding/Placement: Leadville & Freshman – it is incredibly important for freshmen to be at the Leadville race. Freshman compete in a time trial at the first race. This will dictate their positioning for the rest of the season. The faster your score at the time trial, the further up you get in the starting line.
      • Warm-ups are led by one of your coaches prior to staging. Be sure you are at the Pit Zone 15 minutes BEFORE warm-ups start, ready to ride. 
      • Staging & Waves: Each race category (i.e. Freshman Girls) will be assigned a staging time 15 minutes before their race time. Some categories will have multiple waves depending on the number of racers. The Race Flier has all the details and times.
        • Our Pit Zone will have these times displayed on handouts or a whiteboard.
      • Feed Zones are a section of trail where you can be handed full water bottles and snacks during the race. This is the only section where you can do this. Each team will be given credentials for 1 or 2 people to “work” the feed zone. Racers should coordinate what supplies they need and hand them off to the feed zoners. Parents will need to coordinate/share the duties.
      • # of laps:
        • Freshman, Sophomore, JV: 2 laps (approximately 12 miles or 45 – 90 minutes)
        • Varsity: 3 laps (approximately 18 miles or  90 – 120 minutes)
    • Awards
      • Awards ceremonies happen later in the day, but we do ask that all families and racers stay to cheer on the rest of the team. There may be extenuating circumstances at times, but we do expect families to stay and show solidarity as a team. We are a strong team and often have individual and team podiums.
  • Sportsmanship
    • Helmets must be worn at all times by EVERYONE at the venue who is on a bicycle. Racers and spectators alike. We can and will be penalized if someone from our Gunnison family is riding a bike without a helmet. 
    • Caffeine is not allowed to be consumed in any form by student athletes at the race venue and cannot be a part of a regular training routine. 
    • Cheering is encouraged to support our riders AND others on the course and is appropriate if it’s encouraging, friendly, and respectful to everyone.
    • Inclusivity is encouraged! Invite a new friend from another team, middle school, or wherever to share the joy around the fire or on the sidelines. 
  • Parent Roles:
    • Needs
      • Feed Zone – Parent(s) in charge of the race pit zone support racers on the course with water bottles and snacks, and enthusiasm.
        • 2024 Parent(s): 
      • Potluck – Parent(s) responsible for picking a food theme (Mexican, pasta, etc) and setting up a SignUpGenius for what other players and families need to bring.
        • 2024 Parent(s):
      • Race Meals –  Parent(s) responsible for coordinating lunches on race day. Charge families $10 per person for food. Team can transport coolers. Coordinator responsible for condiments and other items that are reused each race. 
      • Activity Planner – Parent(s) help plan non-bike-related activities for race weekends. For example – they would make reservations for bowling in Snowmass or discover a putt-putt course near a venue. This parent(s) will also help plan the end-of-the-season banquet.
        • 2024 Parent(s):
      • Fundraiser – Parent(s) that help in the spring with sponsorship letters and planning our Growler Bake Sale. This also has lots of opportunities for growth and innovation.
        • 2024 Parent(s): 
      • Media Relations – Boast about the team by writing race updates to the Gunnison Times with a photo or two!
        • 2024 Parent: 
  • Communications
    • TeamSnap – is a messaging app that we use to communicate with racers and parents. It has events, including practices. We would love riders to RSVP to each practice because it helps coaches plan our rides in advance. 
    • SignUp Genius – We use this platform for all our races, so that we all know what to bring food and drink wise. 
    • Email – I will send out a long email with details for each race, about a week before the race. 
    • Race day results and info on TeamApp: https://coloradoleague.teamapp.com/?_webpage=v1
  • Miscellaneous
    • Reminder that athletes can earn PE credit during the race season. 
    • Tee shirts are being designed! Our design will be ready to order in August.

Yay for making it through all of that information! Pretty much everything in this email can be found on this Google Doc, the Team Super Doc 2024. 

I’m looking forward to an amazing season! 

Sierra Cucinelli

GHS MTB Team

www.mtbCowboys.com