Start A Team
Anyone can start a mountain biking team – parents, teachers, cycling enthusiasts. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. The Alabama Cycling Association (ACA) can provide the training and education needed to start a team. It’s a process that is very rewarding once you get the team established. We’ve tried to make it simple to understand. Follow the steps below to get started. You don’t have to complete them in sequential order.
Contact an ACA Representative
Contact Alabama Cycling Association and let us know that you’d like to start a mountain biking team. We will guide you through the process.
What type of team do you want to start?
» School-based teams are full-time students at a public or private school whose team is affiliated with the school “official” or “unofficial.” Home school students, online students, charter school students and students who live in the school zone of a school-based team should be able to join the team.
» Composite teams are students from more than one school within the same geographic area. Home school students, online students and charter school students can join a composite team subject to the standard composite team rules.
» Independent Riders - A student-athlete who does not have a club or team at the school they attend, or a composite team that serves their area, may petition to participate as an independent rider in ACA races.
Coaching and Season Schedule
» The ACA uses CCNBikes.com for coach and rider registration. Create a user on the CCN website and follow the steps to earn your Level 1 coaching license. Review the CCN Coach Registration guide for assistance.
» Register your new team through CCN.com.
» Review ACA participation fees.
» Ask about when ACA’s coaching classes are scheduled.
» Review race season schedule.
» Learn how to generate reports on CCNBikes.com using the CCN Knowledge Base. This is how you will view the following information:
Student-athlete roster
Coach roster (with license status)
Race registrations
Emergency contact information
ACA Programs
» ACA Coaching Summit
» ACA Coaching Classes
» ACA Scholarship Program
» GRACe (Girls Riding Alabama Cycling)
Organize Your Team
» Choose head coach and team director. New teams will probably start with a single person fulfilling both roles. But as your team grows, you should delegate responsibilities and add leadership positions.
» All adults who will ride with student-athletes must be licensed and covered under the ACA’s insurance plan. Other adult riders who want to be coaches can login to CCN and begin the Level 1 licensing program. Use the CCNBikes.com Coach Registration Guide for assistance.
» Create a tentative practice schedule.
» Schedule a parent meeting to introduce everyone to the expectations, season details, talk about race kits and how to register student-athletes for race season.
» Use team apps like GroupMe, TeamSnap or Slack to communicate with parents and student-athletes.
Build a Relationship with a School
» To be a school-based team, set-up a meeting with an administrator and introduce the idea of having a school-based team. If you are interested an ACA representative can attend for support.
» Ask the school about being an ‘official club’ of the school.
Inform The Community
» Establish a simple online presence with a simple website using software such as WordPress or SquareSpace that include hosting, email and simple website building tools. It’s also important to have a social presence on Facebook and/or Instagram.
» Create recruiting social posts, flyers and ask school to add “Join our team” information on parent newsletters.
» Have a table at the school club fair. Collect names, contact information and emails of kids interested in joining the team. Hand out flyers and stickers.
» Attend new student orientations at the high school and middle school.
» Let your local bike shop know about the new team.
Register Student-athletes
» Instruct parents to register their children for the season at CCNBikes.com. Share the ACA Student-Athlete Registration Guide with parents.
» All participating students must be listed on your CCN roster to be considered “practice-ready.” All coaches must have a Level 1 license to assist in any on-the-bike activities or directly interact with students.
Order Race Kits
Design your race kit. There are several race kit manufacturers. Ask your ACA contact for their race kit manufacturer recommendations.
Season Begins
Start practicing! You can ride up to 4 practices per week not to exceed 16 hours per rider.