2013 Kirby Mountain Bike Race Team and Club Season Info

Team Membership: Any Kirby student can be a member of the Race Team (RT) or Club as long as academic standards are maintained for sports participation. RT and Club members are riders who commit to being on the Race Team or Club on or before the Parent/Rider Meeting scheduled for January 10th and meet requirements for practice and race participation. A rider or parent must be present at the Parent/Rider meeting to participate- no exceptions.

Season: The official season for the 2013 Kirby MTB Race Team and the Club is from Wednesday January 30th (first practice Race Team) or Saturday February 2nd (first practice for Club) through the last scheduled race (late May).

Email/Website Communication: Our primary method of communication is via email and this website. Please be sure that we have your correct email address. let us know if it changes during the season.

Website Information: Team information (along with photos from every race) will be posted on our team website. Alll "next" ride, race or event information will always be posted on our "Next Event Information" link from the homepage.

Practice Requirements- Race Team: You are only allowed one missed practice per month. Club: you should try to make two of the 3 Club rides per week (Monday, Wednesday or Saturday).

Race Attendance Requirement for Race Team members: Junior high riders must attend 2 scheduled CCCX races. High school riders should attend all NorCal races.

Missed Practice Notification Race Team members: If you are going to miss practice, you must contact coach Adam before the scheduled practice. You must call, text/email Coach Adam at ahaverstock@mac.com no later than 3:40pm on day of practice. Do not communicate through your fellow team mates.

Missed Practice Notification Club members:If you are going to miss a weekday practice, you should contact Club Coach Blair before the scheduled practice. You must call, text/email Coach Blair at blair@millhr.com no later than 12:00noon on day of weekday practice. Notification is not necessary for Saturday rides.

Practice Days/Times/pick up Race Team members: Practices will be every Monday and Wednesday. We will begin at 3:45pm and end practice at 5:30pm. Starting on March 11th, practices will go to 6:00pm (after Daylight Savings time change). We will always try to ensure that we are back at school as close to 5:30pm (6:00pm in spring) as possible.

Practice Days/Times/pick up MTB Club members: Practices will be every Monday and Wednesday with a fun ride on Saturdays. We will begin at 3:45pm and end practice at 5:30pm. Starting on March 11th, practices will go to 6:00pm (after Daylight Savings time change). Club members will be driven by volunteer parents to the UCSC Barn parking lot to start practice. Riders wil ride back to Kirby to end practice at school. We will always try to ensure that we are back at school as close to 5:30pm (6:00pm in spring) as possible.

Parents/Guardians, please try to ensure that you arrive at the scheduled pick-up time to pick up your student after practice. We will not leave a student alone at Kirby after hours. If you allow your student to ride home after practice, we need your permission to allow a student to do so. Contact Coach Haverstock via email to allow your student to ride home from practice.

Practice Routine- Bike, Books Storage: After school, students should bring all items out of the school building as it will be closed and locked when we return from practice. Students can leave all their books in the coaches' vehicle for storage or on shelves in the Kirby garage, until we return from practice. Students can leave their bike in Kirby's lower garage which is accessible via a code (contact Abby Christopher, athletic director, for code) for storage during the day and if you choose, between Monday and Wednesday practices. You should always take your bike home on Wednesday night after practice. Sometimes the school's electronic lock does not work, such as on weekends. We have had kids have their bikes unaccessible for races due to this issue! While the bikes are in Kirby's locked garage, we advise all students to use a lock for storage in this area.

Practice Days/Times/pick up Club members: Practices will be every Saturday and start at the UCSC Barn parking lot. We will begin at 10:00am and end practice at 12:00pm. We will always try to ensure that we are back to the UCSC Barn as close to12:00pm as possible.

Parents/Guardians, please try to ensure that you arrive at the scheduled pick-up time to pick up your student after practice. We will not leave a student alone at the practice area. If you allow your student to ride home after practice, we need your permission to allow a student to do so. Contact Coach Haverstock or Dietmar Burkhardt via email to allow your student to ride home from practice.

Coach Adams Code of Conduc- Race Team and Club memberst: We will not allow any negative or rude comments by any team member. All team members are expected to show respect for each other, coaches, teams and parents. We also will have respect for the trails and other users of the trails.

Practice Cancellations: We will rarely cancel practice due to inclement weather. We want to make sure our riders are used to riding in the same conditions that may occur during a race (MTB races don’t cancel due to weather). However, should a coach cancel a practice due to weather, or any other last minute issues, we will send all parents and riders on our contact list an email. Cancellations due to bad weather may happen as late as 3:30pm for weekday practices or early Saturday morning for Club members. Check your email if the weather looks particularly severe.

Practice Location/Gear: Practices will almost always be conducted at UCSC and or Wilder Ranch. Race team members will typically will ride from Kirby to get to these areas. Club members will typically start at the UCSC barn parking lot. One of the many skills we emphasize is to be prepared. It is important that riders arrive at practice with the minimal safety gear as listed below. If a student does not have an approved helmet for any team ride- they will not be allowed to ride. We have a very simple helmet rule- if you’re on a bike, you must be wearing your helmet.

Required Items-
High end mountain bike equipment is not required to be on the team or club.

1. A well maintained mountain bike. A suspension system (front or rear) is not required. The handlebars should not have “bar ends”.

2. An ANSI approved cycling helmet.

3. Glasses. Clear, plastic, safety glasses are available for as low as $10 from any hardware store.

4. Gloves- You should always have hand protection.

5. Bike riding shorts or pants and a good breathing top shirt. Avoid any material that does not breathe well, such as cotton. We have recycled lycra clothing available for all students.

6. Water bottle and cage to mount water bottle on bike.

7. Spare Tire, pump, tire levers (as well as a means for carrying these items).

8. Firm soled shoes

Recommended Items-

  1. A mountain bike with front suspension forks.

  2. A “clipless” cycling shoe and pedal (in addition to providing superior power for climbing, clipless shoes are safer than shoes in a caged pedal).

  3. Lycra cycling shorts/pants and top.

  4. Camelbak type backpack and hydration pack.

  5. Some type of powerbar to eat while on a ride.

  6. Red Blinking tail light.

Bike Maintenance: It is very important that members keep their bikes maintained at all times during the season. If your bike breaks during a race or practice, you should get it repaired immediately. Our sponsor bike shop will expedite repairs for all team members.

Bike Shop- ABS: Another Bike Shop (ABS) is our sponsor bike shop. They are located at 2361 Mission St. on the West Side. (831) 427-2232. ABS will have a list of all team members so that you will receive service as quickly as possible and discounts when available.

2013 Team Uniforms: Riding uniforms will be provided and be the property of the school.

Race Registration Process

CCCX Series (Junior High Riders): Registration for the CCCX, MTB series racing occurs on site on the morning of the race. Parent/Guardians must be present to sign the appropriate waiver. Each race will cost approximately $25.

Norcal (High School Riders): We rely on rider parent/guardians to ensure this process gets done in a timely manner. Usually, online registration closes 5 days before the given race. Late fees always apply for registrations not made on time. It is possible to register for most races at the event; however a parent/guardian must be present to sign the appropriate waivers.

Norcal League Costs: Costs for joining the Norcal league are as follows: $50 to join the league (mandatory) and $45 per race if you pay in advance online. Furthermore, at least three races will take place out of town which will add the cost of one night's motel stay plus incidentals. We always look for the best price motel near the race venue that can support the arrival of our large team. We go to dinner the night before any out of town races and ask parents to share the cost of our coaches' dinner. Finally, during every race, we need to supply lunch and snacks for our very hungry racers and all attending parents/guardians. We conduct a potluck to supply food and will setup specific items for families to bring to each race.

If you need any assistance whatsoever in completing any registration document, please contact Team Director, Dietmar Burkhardt.

Travel to races: Families are expected to provide transportation to and from races. If a parent/guardian cannot attend a race, work with other families and ride share to build team spirit.

Over Night Stays: High School Race Team members will have at least two overnight races. A parent/guardian must attend and room with their rider for these races.

2013 Race season dates- See Season Calendar link.

Photo Ride: We will call out a photo ride (replacing one of our practices), were we will ride to the forest and take portraits of the individual riders and group shots. It is important when we call out this ride, that all team members are present and in uniform. This is a one shot affair, if you are not present for this ride, you will not be in the team photo.

Other Team Events

Sea Otter Classic: April 18th - 21st-- Located at Laguna Seca. More info coming.

Kirby Spring Sports Banquet: Cancelled/ event to be integrated with End of Season BBQ.

End of Season BBQ: June 1st on Maybee Lane in Santa Cruz- full details will be sent out soon.

Series Racing Info

CCCX Mountain Bike Race Series: The CCCX MTB race series is the Monterey Bay’s prime cycling race series. CCCX Mountain Bike races are for all age groups and skill levels. All races are generally held at one of two locations, Toro Park in Salinas or on the lands of the former Fort Ord in Monterey. See link above for complete series info.

NorCal Leagues Races (High School Race Team Members Only): The NorCal Mountain Bike League is a group of approximately 60 Northern California High Schools with about 500 plus students participating in freshman, sophomore, junior varsity and varsity categories. For more information about the league, see link above.

The Sea Otter Classic:The Sea Otter Classic is the premier cycling race event on the West Coast. This event is held over three days at Laguna Seca Race way and has an excellent MTB course. Kirby riders can compete in either beginner or sport categories for this race. Info at www.seaotterclassic.com .

Coach ContactsAdam Haverstock- Head Coach
ahaverstock@mac.com
Cell (831) 818-2433
Dietmar Burkhardt- Team Director
dietmar@sunnyvalevw.com
Cell (408)203-8032
Blair Mandell- Club Coach
blair@millhr.com
(831) 461-1345