Georgia Youth Cycling League Opens 5th Season at Road Atlanta

Over 800 Georgia and South Carolina middle and high school student-athletes will hit the race trails this weekend, Saturday, September 8th and Sunday, September 9th, at Road Atlanta to begin the 5th season of the Georgia Interscholastic Cycling League. (Georgia League) To accommodate the continued growth and interest in the league, the league will go to a 2-day race format – Middle Schoolers will race on Saturday and High Schoolers will race on Sunday. “We are experiencing substantial growth across all areas of our league,” said League Director, Kenny Griffin. Not only are the athletes and their families recognizing the value of our mountain biking youth development programs; but corporate partnerships, volunteer recruitment, and board engagement are all on the rise.” Fifty-four teams, with over 800 student-athletes, and 500+ coaches are expected to participate in the league this 2018 fall season.

For the second year in a row, Road Atlanta will host the first of the five Georgia League race series weekends, with the remaining race weekends taking place throughout Georgia in September - November. (Click HERE for the full 2018 race season schedule.) The FOX Race Face XC Course at Road Atlanta is a challenging 4.6-mile mountain bike course built in 2017 by Fox Factory. Road Atlanta is located at 5300 Winder Highway, Braselton, GA 30517. See below for the race weekend start times.

Road Atlanta Start Times

Saturday, September 8th

8th Grade Boys – 2:00pm 8th Grade Girls – 3:00pm

7th Grade Boys – 2:04pm 7th Grade Girls – 3:04pm

6th Grade Boys – 2:08pm 6th Grade Girls – 3:08pm

Sunday, September 9th

Varsity Girls - 10:00AM Sophomore Boys - 11:30AM

JV Girls - 10:03AM Freshman Boys – 11:33AM

Sophomore Girls - 10:06AM JV Boys – 1:15PM

Freshman Girls - 10:09AM Varsity Boys – 1:18PM

The League has experienced explosive growth since its inception in 2014 – growing from just over 10 teams and 121 student-athletes that inaugural year. In just five seasons, the Georgia League has trained 1,381 student-athletes and over 674 coaches through its Mountain Bike Youth Development programs. In 2017, the League awarded over $19,000 in scholarships and $22,000 in loaner bikes to deserving athletes and coaches! The League is comprised of teams across Georgia, including Rabun County in the North, Columbus in the West, Milledgeville in the East, Albany in the South, and multiple teams in between; as well as 4 teams in the South Carolina Upstate Region. View a map of all teams HERE.

Thank you to our 2018 Georgia League Sponsors including Northside Hospital, Free-Flite Bicycles, The Village at Indian Springs, HT Components, Joe’s No Flats, Novatec, Smanie, RST, Trek, Clif, Fox Factory, Maxxis, Primal, Outspoken Bicycles, Arcus, Strike, Cycology Bike Shop, Shumate and Squirt.

The Georgia League is a 501c3 nonprofit organization, and an affiliate league of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) umbrella, providing exclusive mountain biking programs for middle and high students. The Georgia League is one of twenty-five leagues in twenty-four states overseen by NICA, established in 2009, with 17,119 student-athletes and 8,402 licensed coaches participating across the nation. The Georgia League is open to all Georgia students, regardless of ability, believing that cycling is about lifelong health, not just today’s win. Scholarships and loaner bikes are available to students in need. For more information about starting a team in your area, League Sponsorship or Volunteer information, or for more information on the Georgia League, visit www.georgiamtb.org or connect with them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/georgiamtb, on Twitter at @gamtbleague, on Instagram at georgiamtbleague, on YouTube at Georgia Interscholastic Cycling League, and on LinkedIn at Georgia Interscholastic Cycling League.