Junior Devo (7th – 8th grade) & High school (9th-12th)
Bike, helmet, spare tubes, multi-tool, hand pump, and a water bottle are mandatory! All riders must complete a bike and equipment check with one of the coaches prior to participating on the team.
Here is some basic information that we have put together that can help guide you in your decision: Starting at the beginning, there are three basic types of mountain bike:
For more information on purchasing a bike, refer to this document.
A bike may cost $700 – 3,500+ Mountain Bike (before student discounts*).
* Students are eligible for up to a 25% discount from Timpanogos Cyclery on bicycles and 15% off parts and labor. Timpanogos Cyclery is our local bike shop and major supporter of the team. Stop in their shop and have a visit with them and find out what will work for you.
All riders must complete a bike and equipment check with one of the coaches or team managers prior to participating on the team. Don’t be afraid to visit with the coaches about their opinions. Many have spent a considerable amount of time research and riding a wide range of bikes, brands, sizes, styles, etc. If you don’t already have a bike, or if you are uncertain as to whether the bike you plan to ride is suitable, spend time talking with multiple people, collecting opinions and recommendations before you find yourself making an overly spontaneous decision.
Sponsors are amazing! Please read the Sponsorship FAQ below this section.
Races are scheduled at venues throughout the state from mid-August through mid-October. Jr. Devos participate in 3 races and HS athletes participate in 4, plus state championships for those who qualify and for seniors. Athletes are divided into smaller groups/heats based on their level of riding.
Each venue offers the opportunity to pre-ride the race course on Friday afternoon/evening before race day. Races are on Saturdays, staggered in stages throughout the day. Each athlete will race one time on the course on race day. State Championship is the exception, with races running Friday and Saturday and the pre-ride being offered the Thursday prior.
Most families choose to stay overnight near the venues on Friday to accommodate this scheduling. Camping is often an option.
The team provides water, snacks, and lunch for athletes on race days.
Each family is required to dedicate some volunteer hours. At the State Championship, the league also requires at least one member of each family to volunteer either with the league or with the team.
Awards ("podiums") occur on race days at the venue. Jr. Devo podiums occur before noon, while HS podiums are at the end of the day, after the course has been cleaned up. (The League needs a lot of help with clean up, so the more volunteers that help, the sooner we all get out of there!) We also encourage all athletes to stay and cheer on their teammates that will be receiving awards.
Please refer to the team calendar for scheduling updates.
The current team jersey is required for each athlete. Matching bottoms and sock are optional.
Costs are listed here plus the cost of a team kit.
NICA: National Interscholastic Cycling Association - NICA is the organization through which our teams and races are run (and our insurance is through). In order to ride with the team, you will need to go through NICA to receive certification as a level 1, level2, or level 3 "coach".
Kit: Refers to a set of jersey and bottoms for cycling.
Chamois: (Pronounced "shammy") The padded part in cycling shorts that saves your tush from abuse.
Time Trial: A set course that we will ride and time ourselves throughout the season to track individual progress.
GRiT: Girls Riding Together - Girls Riding Together is NICA’s initiative to increase female participation by creating a more welcoming environment for girls to join through girls-only events, rides, camps, clinics and socializing opportunities.
Financial considerations should never keep a rider from participating. Please fill out this financial aid form. There are options for assistance with the team kit costs and loaner bikes will also be available.
In addition to financial assistance with team fees and kits the Utah Nica League also offers financial aid for team fees. Learn more here.
Please reach us at coach@pgbikingvikings.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.
The “Team Fee Fundraiser” is trying to raise $20,000 by the end of March. If the team achieves is March 31st fundraising goal of raising the $20k, then 100% of the Team Fees will be waived for all team members!
The “Sponsorship Program” is trying to raise a total of $45,000 from local businesses (including the $20,000 from the Team Fee Fundraiser). Running a mountain bike team of our size carries significant cost, and our team fees only cover a portion of our true operating cost. All other expenses are covered by local businesses and private donations.
This year we’re looking to raise $45,000 (total) in business and private donations to pay for race day equipment, trailer maintenance, event costs (team building, GRiT events, end of year team recognition banquet), consumable items such as first aid kits, race nutrition, water bottles, electrolyte mixes, race food, athlete scholarships, loaner bikes, bookkeeping and legal fees, and remaining miscellaneous operating costs. 100% of the funds benefit the student athletes, and there are no salaries paid to the coaches or staff.
You can reduce or eliminate your Team, Kit, and NICA registration fees if you raise the following aggregate amounts of money by soliciting businesses or private parties for donations:
Anybody affiliated with the Biking Vikings, including student athletes, parents, coaches, or volunteers may approach any local business and solicit their donations of cash, goods, or services!
While any business may donate to the Biking Vikings irrespective of the type of services or products it delivers or produces, you’re most likely to be successful if:
Can’t think of any businesses that qualify? Just go visit local businesses and see what they say! We’ve had payment services providers, car washes, construction contractors, and many other businesses not connected in any direct way to mountain biking donate to the Biking Vikings in the past. Build a personal connection with the business owner around your passion for mountain biking and they may be willing to donate!
Ask for the owner or the manager. You’ll need to speak with someone who is authorized to sign agreements for the business and make donations to 501-C3 organizations.
Firstly, be yourself! They respect the fact that you’re there–and are brave enough to ask them for a donation! Introduce yourself and tell them why you love mountain biking, and don’t be afraid to show your excitement!
Next, share and review the Sponsorship Prospectus with them, and highlight the benefits of the various Gold, Silver, and Bronze packages.
We have over 400 hyper-local email subscribers (and growing) plus over 700 Instagram followers to which we will share their logo and marketing materials with.
However, the primary benefit is giving back to the youth of the community and enriching the lives of Student Athletes through their tax-deductible donation to a 501-C3 organization!
No! But there are limits to the number of Gold and Silver sponsors, which are limited to (5) each so that we can ensure they get premium representation on our kits and other marketing materials. We want to make sure our kits are clean and our premium packages are meaningful. See the Sponsorship Prospectus for examples.
Gold Sponsors ($5,000 Donation): Limited to 5
Silver Sponsors ($3,000 Donation): Limited to 5
Bronze Sponsors ($1,000 Donation): Unlimited
All you need to do is make sure they complete the online Sponsor Pledge Form where they’ll provide their contact information, business name, pledge amount, and list you as their contact so you get credit–and the Coaches will reach out to them and send the Donation Form or the Sponsor Agreement at a later date–typically within the next week.
All payments are due on or before May 20, 2025 in order to give us time to add their logo to the kits, email templates, and other marketing materials.
Donors may enjoy the benefits of Sponsorship only if their donations of cash, goods, or services offset the team’s normal operating costs.
Cash donations are the preferred and easiest way to offset operating costs, but certain goods or services that are typically planned expenses year over year may be considered as a cash-equivalent donation, subject to review and approval by the Coaches.
Such donations of goods or services would be recognized as a form of revenue, and a donation receipt would be delivered to the local business.
Typically accepted goods or services include consumable goods such as trail food, race food or event costs, legal services, bike mechanic services, etc. Business owners may contact coach@pgbikingvikings.com for specific questions on qualifying donations, or they may fill out the Sponsor Pledge Form and identify the goods or services they wish to deliver there, which will kick off the review process.
Branded swag such as t-shirts, hoodies, jackets, or any other gift is a great marketing tool for local businesses to share their logo and give away items of some value to our team, but it does not offset our typical planned operating costs.
We are happy to coordinate with a business that expresses an interest in gifting swag to our team, but we would not classify the gift as a donation, which means they would not be recognized as a “Sponsor” and their gift would not be eligible to count toward reducing your registration fees.
Businesses interested in having their logo placed on a piece of swag and wish to be recognized as Sponsors to enjoy all of the benefits thereof are encouraged to elect the Gold Package, where we will place their logo on the team gift (i.e. a duffel bag, shirt, or other wearable item) to our student athletes.