Georgia League Hosts Middle & High School State MTB Championships

850 Georgia and South Carolina middle and high school student-athletes on 55 teams will compete in the Georgia Interscholastic Cycling LeagueMountain Bike State Championships this weekend, Saturday, November 3rd and Sunday, November 4th. The 2018 Georgia Peach State Championship Race will be held at Dauset Trails Nature Center, located at 360 Mount Vernon Church Rd. Jackson, Georgia 30233. To accommodate the continued growth and interest in the league, the league has gone to a 2-day race format – Middle Schoolers will race on Saturday beginning at 2pm and the High Schoolers will race on Sunday beginning at 10AM. The Championship Series awards ceremony will take place immediately following the Individual and Team Race awards and NICA Spirit Awards each day.

This is the league’s 3rd year racing at Dauset Trails Nature Center. Thank you to the Dauset Trails Nature Center and the Village at Indian Springs for their partnership and support with the race. The Georgia Peach State championship race course is best described with one word, FUN! This trail twists and winds throughout Dauset Forest, offering some of the best single track in South Georgia. Combine all skills that a rider has learned throughout the season, and crank up the power to lay it all out on the line at the series finale.

Peach State Championship Start Times
Saturday, November 3rd
8th Grade Boys – 2:00pm 8th Grade Girls – 3:00pm
7th Grade Boys – 2:04pm 7th Grade Girls – 3:04pm
6th Grade Boys – 2:08pm 6th Grade Girls – 3:08pm
Sunday, November 4th
Varsity Girls - 10:00AM Sophomore Boys - 11:30PM
JV Girls - 10:03AM Freshman Boys - 11:33PM
Sophomore Girls - 10:06AM Varsity Boys - 1:15PM
Freshman Girls - 10:09AM JV Boys - 1:18PM

The North Forsyth High School team is currently in first place in the Division I (High School teams) overall race series. The Oconee County Composite MTB team is currently in first place in the Division II (Composite Teams) overall race series. View the Individual and Team Race Series Results HERE. Varsity racers, Lily Gowens/Prima Tappa East Team/N Gwinnett High School and John Brown, Oconee Composite Team/N Oconee HS are both in the lead for their respective Female and Male categories. Gowens is looking to take her third straight Championship, winning previous championships in both the freshman and JV categories. Brown is looking to take his 2nd Championship title, winning in the JV category last season.

The League has experienced explosive growth since its inception in 2014 – growing from just over 10 teams and 121 student-athletes that inaugural year. “We are experiencing substantial growth across all areas of our league,” said League Director, Kenny Griffin. Not only are the athletes and their families recognizing the value of our mountain biking youth development programs; but corporate partnerships, volunteer recruitment, and board engagement are all on the rise.” In just five seasons, the Georgia League has trained 2,200 student-athletes and over 1,300 coaches through its Mountain Bike Youth Development programs. We have also awarded over $85,000 in financial aid and loaner bikes to student-athletes and coaches in need! The League is comprised of teams across Georgia, including Rabun County in the North, Columbus in the West, Milledgeville in the East, Albany in the South, and multiple teams in between; as well as 4 teams in the South Carolina Upstate Region. View a map of all teams HERE.

The Georgia League is a 501c3 nonprofit organization, and an affiliate league of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) umbrella, providing exclusive mountain biking programs for middle and high students. The Georgia League is one of twenty-five leagues in twenty-four states overseen by NICA, established in 2009, with 17,119 student-athletes and 8,402 licensed coaches participating across the nation. The Georgia League is open to all Georgia students, regardless of ability, believing that cycling is about lifelong health, not just today’s win. Scholarships and loaner bikes are available to students in need. For more information about starting a team in your area, League Sponsorship or Volunteer information, or for more information on the Georgia League, visit www.georgiamtb.org or connect with them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/georgiamtb, on Twitter at @gamtbleague, on Instagram at georgiamtbleague, on YouTube at Georgia Interscholastic Cycling League, and on LinkedIn at Georgia Interscholastic Cycling League.