Galena Growlers Coach Rob Baker and the 2019 mountain mountain biking team. (Submitted photo)

CHENANGO – After delaying the spring season the National Interscholastic Cycling Association of New York (NICA) announce the High/Middle School Mountain Bike league will be riding again later this summer and fall.

NICA is a youth biking team. It is a composite team that currently consists of riders from sixth grade to 12th grade from Norwich, Sherburne-Earlville and Oxford schools, with about a dozen NICA certified coaches involved.

“Well, our Spring 2020 high school-middle school New York mountain bike league was a COVID bust,” said Galena Growlers Coach Rob Baker.

“But, starting the 15th of July, our local Galena Growlers kids mountain bike team will be back at it gearing up for a spring, moved to fall season, here in New York.”

A number of bikers are expected to return from last year, this is the Galena Growlers third season in the area.

This year races start at the end of August and go into October. Due to the COVID-19 lockdown the spring season was postponed, however the league reached out to state health officials to get a one time Fall league going, explained Baker.

Baker said the league had instituted a number of new health rules to protect riders during the health crisis.

“We’ll be following social distancing rules and keeping our kids in groups of no more than eight kids with two coaches in ride pods when we head out on practice rides.  Lots of new rules to follow, but we’re excited to get the kids back out on the local trails.”

Baker said the program’s popularity was growing and Chenango County was an ideal please to ride.

“NICA and high school-middle school mountain biking keeps growing, now with leagues in 31 states across the country.  There’s no sitting on the bench, everyone gets to ride,” he said.

He also added the sport got kids outdoors and into nature and that many local rides explore and learn more about the local area during the rides.

“Our Chenango County area has a lot to offer for the local mountain bikers, with lots of back gravel roads and tons of trails that criss-cross through the thousands of acres in our local state lands,” said Baker.

If your child is interested in joining, please contest Rob Baker via email (GalenaGrowlers@gmail.com) or by phone (607-244-2520 or 607-373-3431).