About
Wildcat Composite Devo MTB focuses on cross-country mountain biking for middle school riders, with regular Sunday rides, preseason rider clinics, and skills clinics. Riders also take part in one session of trail maintenance on a local trail and can choose to attend a GRIT (Girls-only) campout, optional NICA/NorCal races, and a year-end party.
• Ages: 11–14 years old
• Schedule: Practices typically run three times a week between November and April, with rides from Dec 3 to mid-May on Wednesdays and Thursdays for 1.5 hours after school and on Sundays from 9:00–11:30 AM.
• Price: $175/yr club dues, plus $110/yr dues to NICA/NorCal.
The club was started in 2013 and was founded in 2014 with the goal of providing a team environment for middle school girls and boys to develop mountain biking skills and ability. Goals include having fun, challenging themselves, improving conditioning and skills, building grit, and being an active member in a community of caring, supportive folks. The program is a member of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) and the NorCal-NICA league, and NICA/NorCal provides supplemental medical and primary liability insurance.
Membership in NICA means the coaching staff have had training in coaching, risk mitigation, and first aid, as well as background safety checks, and the coaching staff is all volunteer with various levels of training from NorCal. Coaches and ride leaders are trained in managing risks and continually reinforce safe riding principles, and coaches have background checks and receive safety and skills training. The head coach is Cort Cooper (Coach Cort), who can be contacted at [email protected] or [email protected].
Youth come mostly from Berkeley, El Cerrito, Albany, Richmond, and Kensington, and members should be in grades 6–8, know how to ride a bike, be motivated and respectful, and regularly make at least one practice a week. The club started with 15 riders and in 2022–2023 reached 111 youth and 70 coaches, with roughly 100 students (25–30% girls) and 50 coaches riding three times a week between November and April each year. Many young riders continue with a high school team in the East Bay after building a foundation in the club, and most students go on to ride with NorCal-NICA teams at local high schools after finishing 8th grade.
The program focuses on cross-country mountain biking, which puts a premium on fitness and endurance, and offers optional league races through NorCal-NICA. Though many riders end up on the podium in local races, most riders prefer a slower pace. Each member is required to do one session of trail maintenance on a local trail (about 4 hours door-to-door), and the club uses TeamSnap to track team participation and availability.
Required equipment for each ride includes a helmet, a good mountain bike, gloves, eye protection, cycling shorts, one team jersey (provided by the team every other year), a windbreaker if needed, energy bar and water, and basic repair items like a spare tube, air pump, and multitool. The club has a few loaner bikes for those in financial need and can provide a loaner bike at a nominal charge if necessary, and scholarships and loaner bikes are available for riders in need. Insurance policy rules allow a prospective member to ride as a guest for one session, and parents may ride along if they complete 3–4 hours of NICA training and screening.
Important dates in a typical season include an information meeting on Sept 28 at 7:30 PM (online), a GRIT (Girls-only) campout on Oct 18–19, skills clinics on Oct 26 and Nov 2 from 9:00–11:30 AM, Sunday rides on Nov 9, 16, and 23 from 9:00–11:30 AM, and club closure to new riders on Nov 23. From Dec 3 to mid-May there are rides every Wednesday and Thursday after school for 1.5 hours and on Sundays from 9:00–11:30 AM, with five NICA/NorCal races between February and May and a year-end party in late May. The team website is www.wildcatcompositemtb.com, and the NorCal league website is www.NorCalMTB.org.
Last updated March 18, 2026.
• Ages: 11–14 years old
• Schedule: Practices typically run three times a week between November and April, with rides from Dec 3 to mid-May on Wednesdays and Thursdays for 1.5 hours after school and on Sundays from 9:00–11:30 AM.
• Price: $175/yr club dues, plus $110/yr dues to NICA/NorCal.
The club was started in 2013 and was founded in 2014 with the goal of providing a team environment for middle school girls and boys to develop mountain biking skills and ability. Goals include having fun, challenging themselves, improving conditioning and skills, building grit, and being an active member in a community of caring, supportive folks. The program is a member of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) and the NorCal-NICA league, and NICA/NorCal provides supplemental medical and primary liability insurance.
Membership in NICA means the coaching staff have had training in coaching, risk mitigation, and first aid, as well as background safety checks, and the coaching staff is all volunteer with various levels of training from NorCal. Coaches and ride leaders are trained in managing risks and continually reinforce safe riding principles, and coaches have background checks and receive safety and skills training. The head coach is Cort Cooper (Coach Cort), who can be contacted at [email protected] or [email protected].
Youth come mostly from Berkeley, El Cerrito, Albany, Richmond, and Kensington, and members should be in grades 6–8, know how to ride a bike, be motivated and respectful, and regularly make at least one practice a week. The club started with 15 riders and in 2022–2023 reached 111 youth and 70 coaches, with roughly 100 students (25–30% girls) and 50 coaches riding three times a week between November and April each year. Many young riders continue with a high school team in the East Bay after building a foundation in the club, and most students go on to ride with NorCal-NICA teams at local high schools after finishing 8th grade.
The program focuses on cross-country mountain biking, which puts a premium on fitness and endurance, and offers optional league races through NorCal-NICA. Though many riders end up on the podium in local races, most riders prefer a slower pace. Each member is required to do one session of trail maintenance on a local trail (about 4 hours door-to-door), and the club uses TeamSnap to track team participation and availability.
Required equipment for each ride includes a helmet, a good mountain bike, gloves, eye protection, cycling shorts, one team jersey (provided by the team every other year), a windbreaker if needed, energy bar and water, and basic repair items like a spare tube, air pump, and multitool. The club has a few loaner bikes for those in financial need and can provide a loaner bike at a nominal charge if necessary, and scholarships and loaner bikes are available for riders in need. Insurance policy rules allow a prospective member to ride as a guest for one session, and parents may ride along if they complete 3–4 hours of NICA training and screening.
Important dates in a typical season include an information meeting on Sept 28 at 7:30 PM (online), a GRIT (Girls-only) campout on Oct 18–19, skills clinics on Oct 26 and Nov 2 from 9:00–11:30 AM, Sunday rides on Nov 9, 16, and 23 from 9:00–11:30 AM, and club closure to new riders on Nov 23. From Dec 3 to mid-May there are rides every Wednesday and Thursday after school for 1.5 hours and on Sundays from 9:00–11:30 AM, with five NICA/NorCal races between February and May and a year-end party in late May. The team website is www.wildcatcompositemtb.com, and the NorCal league website is www.NorCalMTB.org.
Last updated March 18, 2026.
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