2024 New Rider Info

The Season

Our 2024 mountain bike season runs from July 1 through early November. The first practice day for the 2024 Season is July 7. During the regular season, each athlete is offered three practices a week. Two are held at Sope Creek, starting and ending at the Columns Drive parking lot (meetup location), during the week from 5:45pm - 7:45pm, and one is held Sundays from 2:00pm - 5:00pm at a trail around Greater Atlanta. Beginner and intermediate riders practice on Monday, Thursday, and Sunday. Advanced riders practice on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday. We ask all new riders to first attend a Monday/Thursday/Sunday practice for practice placement evaluation.

Riders can come check out one practice/ride by completing a one-time paper waiver (please bring with you) or by completing this one-time electronic waiver (please bring a screenshot of the completed waiver).

The one-time waiver will only allow students to ride with the team once. After that, students have to register with Georgia Cycling through CCN and pay a $205 registration fee (covers insurance and such). A PassCode is needed in order to register to the correct team. Please email us if you are uncertain which team your rider should be on or if you need the passcode. Also, please never let money concerns keep you from riding! There are options for us to pursue for anyone that needs a little help.

Registration is open from April 1st through August 23rd, 2024. The earlier you get started, the better as we begin the early season working on skills.

Here is the race schedule for 2024. Middle Schoolers and High Schoolers both race the same day.

2024 Race Schedule

9/8 - Race 1 at Walter B. Williams Park

9/21 - Race 2 at Allatoona Creek

10/5 - Race 3 at Dauset Trails

10/20 - Race 4 at Yonah Preserve

10/27 - Race 5 State Championship at Kingston Downs

More information about the races can be found HERE. The State Championship is for qualifying High School racers and 8th graders. Race divisions are based on gender along with grade and ability for High Schoolers(Varsity/JV1/JV2/Freshman) or grade for Middle Schoolers(6th/7th/8th). Our team is in the West Conference.

Our sport isn't just about winning races. Some riders decide not to participate in the races at all, and every rider has the opportunity to register for all, some, or none of the races. We are about developing character, strength, community, and relationships. You can learn more about the Georgia Cycling Association and races here: GCA Website

Staying Connected

**Please make sure you are staying connected with our announcements**

Be sure to sign up for our weekly emails through Mail Chimp HERE.
We use Slack as our primary communication channel. Download the app to your phone and check out the different channels you can join such as:

#announcements - last minute weather or location changes

#general-chat - a place to hang out, talk, or ask questions.

#marketplace - want to buy or sell a bike or other equipment?

#calendar - practice times and places

Upcoming Events (Check Slack for last minute location/weather changes.)

Preseason Ride - 4/21 (Sunday) - Blankets Creek 2pm - 5pm
Preseason Ride - 5/11 (Saturday)
Preseason Ride - 6/1 (Saturday)
Preseason Ride - 6/8 (Saturday)
Mulberry Rider Clinic - 7/19-21

What about a Bike?

If your student has a mountain bike, awesome. Bring it!
If your student has a bike but you are concerned about it being sufficient, awesome. Bring it. We will look it over.
If your student doesn't have a bike, no problem. Let us know. We have several loaner bikes and lots of friends with an extra bike here or there. We can absolutely bring a bike for your student to try.
If you are worried about the cost of a bike being a barrier to joining the team, no worries. Both our team and the GA Cycling Association have loaner bikes available for students who need a little help. Let us know, and we can help you get that figured out!
If you think you'd like to buy a bike, please talk to us first. We can tell you about potential savings available to our team members and discuss some key things to look for.

Required/Recommended Gear

Bike - required
Helmet - required (Good quality, good fitting, relatively new - we have loaners if needed.)
Water Bottle - required (hydration pack, even better)
Close-Toed Shoes - required
Gloves - recommended

The Cost

Mountain biking can be an expensive sport. Please do not let financial concerns be a barrier for you or your student. We have lots of options to help reduce the cost of the sport. We want your student to ride with us! Here is what you can expect this season:

GA Cycling Association Registration Fee - $205 (required) - This fee is required once your student decides to continue riding with the team after the first trial ride. This is the fee that covers insurance and such.

GCA Registration Fee is paid in CCN.

Race Fee - $125-$180 for middle school/$160-$220 for high school (optional, but required if a student would like to race) - This fee covers all 5 races. If you would like to pay for individual races instead, the cost is $45-$60 for each high school race or $35-$55 for each middle school race. Fees must be paid by the Sunday prior to race weekend. There are discounts for early registration.

Race Fee is paid in CCN.

Team Fee - $175 (required) - This fee goes directly to the team. It helps offset the cost of running a team including team registration fees, bike parts used on the trails during practices and races, equipment, loaner bike maintenance, team celebrations, awards, etc.

The team fee includes a jersey and a t-shirt for the season.
Team Fees are paid in CCN. This can be done during registration or through your Team Store after registration.

Additionally you have the cost of a bike, bike repairs & upkeep, and cost of equipment

Sounds Great and I want to ride too!

We love having parents join us for our rides. Adults are required to register as a "Level 1 Coach" in order to ride with the team. This includes a background check and about 1 - 2 hours of online training covering concussions and risk management as well as an on-bike class called MBC101. We will offer this class as many times as trainer availability allows. This way we make sure we keep our kids safe on the trails.

Parents are not required to ride. There are many opportunities for non-riding parents to get involved as we are a fully volunteer run organization. Please let us know if and how you are interested in getting involved!

Sope Creek vs. Riverwood vs. Walton vs. Pope vs. Midtown vs. Campbell vs. Wheeler??

The Sope Creek family of teams is made up of kids from many different schools in East Cobb, Sandy Springs, and North Atlanta. From this community, the Riverwood, Walton, Pope, Midtown, Campbell, Wheeler, Sope ITP, and Sope OTP teams have formed. We all practice, play, and celebrate together. However, we are scored as individual teams during the races and have separate jerseys.