SULLIVAN COUNTY -- While the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out any hope of a competitive spring cycling season, the New York Interscholastic Cycling League and the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA), have put a new plan in gear, recently approving a fall season.

Instead of holding a typical five-race Spring Season, the New York league is tentatively planning for a three-race modified fall season with the first race expected to be held at Lippman Park in Wawarsing on Sunday, September 13. The second event is expected to be held in Oneonta on Sunday, September 27 and the third venue of which is still to be determined, will be held on Sunday, October 11. Currently, there will be no race held in Liberty this year at Walnut Mountain, which hosted a NICA event the last two years.

The Catskill Claws, comprised of racers from school districts across the county, will be resuming practices this month in preparation for the season. All practices will include smaller group sizes and will be conducted while adhering to social distancing guidelines recommended by the National Interscholastic Cycling Association and the New York Interscholastic Cycling League.

“I'm really happy to see that our middle and high school student athletes will have another opportunity to practice and compete in the Fall Season and having at least one of the events planned in our region again is fantastic,” said Catskill Claws Team Director Keith Stephenson. “Hopefully the Town of Liberty will be able to accommodate the league again for future events at Walnut Mountain. We have several new riders this year and all of them were disappointed when they heard the spring season was going to be postponed. Our student athletes will not only have the opportunity to compete this fall, [but] they will also have an opportunity in the Spring of 2021 when the league returns to their regular spring schedule next year.”

Catskill Claws student athlete Tanner McAdams adds, “I was really looking forward to my first year on Catskill Claws until COVID hit. I love everything about mountain biking and I can't wait to start practice again and hopefully race in the fall.”

For more information about the upcoming season, visit www.newyorkmtb.org/.

NICA shows "GRiT"

This year NICA and the New York League are also hoping to hold additional activities as part of their "GRiT" (Girls Riding Together) program in an effort to boost the ratio of girls to boys. The goal of the "GRiT" program is to increase the ratio of girls to boys to at least 33 percent of the participating riders. Currently girls only make up approximately 20 percent of those participating in NICA nationally.