Youth in Central Kansas can learn the basics of bicycle maintenance and repair and ensure their bikes are ride-worthy at a bicycle mechanic workshop set for 1-3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 15 at the Barton County Fairgrounds Expo I building. The event is hosted by the new Golden Belt Badgers youth mountain bike team, which is sanctioned by the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA).
Participants can visit various stations dedicated to maintaining and adjusting their bicycles, like setting their saddle height and what NICA refers to as the ABCDEs of bike maintenance:
- Air (tires & pressure)
- Brakes
- Chain
- Derailleur (device that shifts the chain)
- Everything else
“Our team is all about community and getting kids on bikes,” Team Director Ruth Schiller said. “The focus of the event is to add to the bike culture in the area and help kids keep their bikes rolling. We will have a booth available for more information about the Badgers Team and the opportunity to sign up.”
No RSVPs are required, but they do have an event on their Facebook page where community members can indicate interest and get more information. Visit FB.com/GoldenBeltBadgers to sign up.
Golden Belt Badgers youth mountain bike team to start its first season in 2025
Youth in sixth through 12th grades can now sign up for the Golden Belt Badgers and participate in the 2025 season. Parents interested in signing their children up for the Golden Belt Badgers simply need to submit a form at tinyurl.com/4f8euusj and they will receive some instructions and an invite into NICA’s Pit Zone, which is the league’s online portal. Questions can be directed to Team Director Ruth Schiller at [email protected].
“The Golden Belt Badgers bike team will provide our local youth the opportunity to be part of a community-focused sport, one that encourages fun while engaging in skilled and safe trail riding,” she said. “Every participant will compete at the race events. In this sport, no one is left on the bench.”
The team already has more than a dozen certified coaches. A low coach-to-athlete ratio is necessary to ensure individualized learning opportunities and safety on the trail. For more information about coaching, contact Head Coaches Neil Frizell at [email protected] or Brandon Steinert at [email protected].
Race Season
The regular season began Dec. 1, which is when practices can be held. The Badgers are looking to host their first practice Jan. 12, with practices going from 1:30-3:30 p.m. on Sundays. The five races that make up the Kansas NICA season are held on weekends in April and May. The schedule can be found on the Badgers Facebook page.
The Kansas NICA League has grown swiftly in the last few years, with several teams starting in 2024 and 2025. There are currently 10 teams listed, with at least two more to be added soon. Learn more about the Kansas NICA League at kansasmtb.org.
Steinert said having access to a mountain bike team would have made a huge difference in his own childhood.
“I would have loved something like this as a kid, as the typical ‘ball sports’ were certainly not my thing, and never really felt like I fit in with sports like football or basketball,” he said. “If this were available, it would have drastically changed my entire junior high and high school experience. I’m hoping this opportunity will help young athletes see that there is far more breadth to the world of sports. And, maybe we’ll even help some adults see that growing up doesn’t mean we have to stop considering ourselves to be athletes.”