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Regionals venue announcement

Picture of Em Meier

NICA and host leagues will be announcing Regionals venue locations on Saturday, February 28, 2026 via NICA National channels.

We’re working with host leagues to collaborate on social media, and we’ll be emailing the full NICA general marketing audience (including league lists) with the announcement + a call-to-action to sign up for NICA’s Regionals mailing lists.

We’ll follow up soon with some ways that non-host leagues can help continue to share news about Regionals over the next few weeks. For now, feel free to share, repost, and engage with the post tomorrow!

Note that our email "reply-to" and all of our "help" and FAQ links across the web and email point to the heroic Sean Pantellere. That said, we expect that leagues will receive some event questions; please remember that these questions can be forwarded to Sean - he is available to support!


Comms overview 

NATIONAL + HOST LEAGUES

  • Email blast (sent from National) to full NICA audience
    • Announce locations, key sponsors
    • Primary call to action: sign up for Regionals news (list-building as the action we’d like them to take) and drive traffic to each event site.
  • Social media – post announcing locations with host leagues as collaborators (Instagram) - and social across all other channels.
  • Press release – targeting industry partners with call to action to join events as a sponsor

ALL OTHER (NON-HOST) LEAGUES

  • Social media
    • Post and re-share National to help drive traffic and engagement
    • Non-host leagues are welcome to create their own posts as well, but we suggest they wait until the following week or later this month. This is so that we…
      • …keep day-of-launch action targeted to one area (NICA channels)
      • …continue to create engagement over a longer period of time via league channels in addition to NICA


EMAIL & SOCIAL CONTENT - Detailed

NOTE: CONTENT IS SUBJECT TO MINOR CHANGES BEFORE LAUNCH

EMAIL:
Subject: Click to see where you'll be riding this fall! // Pre-header: NICA's 2026 Regionals venues are here...drumroll, please!
Click to view email proof


SOCIAL MEDIA:
Click to view post in Canva (comments are turned on so you can add directly within the design)
OR click to view post as images
Caption:
Three weekends. Three regions. One rad NICA community!

NICA Regionals are back for 2026 and we’re going bigger than ever with the all-new WESTERN Regionals bringing West Coast leagues together for the first time

These events unite riders from across our 32 leagues for a weekend of racing, riding, GRiT, Teen Trail Corps, Adventure, clinics, hangouts with pros, expo, and fun. It’s the ultimate NICA weekend!

Eastern Regionals
DE, FL, MD, NJ, NY, NC, OH, PA, SC, VA, WV
October 24–25, 2026
Charlottesville, VA

 Central Regionals
AR, IL, IN, KY, KS, MO, MS, NE, OK, TN, TX, WI
November 7–8, 2026
Fayetteville, AR

 Western Regionals — NEW!
AZ, ID, GoSo, MT, Nevada North, Nevada South, NM, NorCal, OR, UT
November 14–15, 2026
St. George, UT

Learn more by visiting the link in our bio

 

 

PRESS RELEASE:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NICA announces its 2026 events schedule with three Regional events across the U.S.

Expansion to a nationwide event calendar offers opportunity for partners, brands to connect with the future of cycling

February 26, 2026 – The National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) announced its 2026 Regional Event calendar last week, with a groundbreaking expansion to three regional gatherings for the first time in the organization’s history. The events invite NICA’s nationwide network of over 26,000 youth athletes, their families, and 16,000 coaches to gather for a weekend of competition, community building, and activities supporting youth cycling.

NICA is the largest youth mountain biking network in the world. NICA’s Regional events (which debuted on the east coast in 2023 and have been growing each year) bring together broad segments of the youth MTB community and create a unique platform for brands and organizations in the cycling and outdoor recreation industries to engage with the next generation of riders, their families, and coaches.

“Regionals provide a racing experience and so much more,” said President Amanda Carey. “They are celebrations of youth cycling, outdoor adventure, and community.” In addition to a competition structure that invites high school-aged NICA athletes to race, the events also include all-ages activities promoting trail stewardship and advocacy, adventure riding, and bringing more girls and women into the sport through the NICA GRiT initiative.

“We’re thrilled to host regionals across our entire U.S. network of 33 leagues this year,” added Carey. 2026 will mark the first-ever Western Regional event, joining NICA’s Central and Eastern events. “Every kid in NICA has an opportunity to join us at Regionals.”

Each event also features a partner expo throughout the weekend where brands can connect with NICA’s broad, engaged community. “We are always excited to welcome mission- and values-aligned partners to join us at Regionals,” said Kate Punderson, NICA VP of Development. “Our event partners get to showcase their dedication to the next generation of cyclists, and for brands it’s such a great opportunity to connect face-to-face with a community who truly loves to ride,” Punderson noted.

“There’s such a benefit for our entire community to connect with the brands that support NICA and our goals of fostering confidence, leadership, and a lifelong love of riding for youth,” added Carey.

The three 2026 events will take place in the fall across the Eastern, Central, and Western United States. Brands are invited to learn more and request a full event partnership package.

EVENT SCHEDULE:


Media Contact:
Em Meier, Senior Communications & Marketing Manager – media@nationalmtb.org
Sean Pantellere, Senior Events Manager – regionals@nationalmtb.org

PRESS KIT AVAILABLE

ABOUT NICA

The National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) is setting a new standard for youth sports through its development-first approach, supporting programming and people to provide kids with the necessary experiences to become healthy, thriving lifelong athletes. Founded in Berkeley, California, USA in 2009, NICA has since expanded across the United States and now, internationally. NICA fulfills its youth-development mission by supporting a network of 33 U.S. leagues, with nearly 26,000 young riders and 16,000 adult coaches. NICA frames cycling as more than just a sport: it’s a tool for youth to build strength, resilience and character within a welcoming community. With local teams, dedicated coaches, and world-class events, NICA empowers young people to grow both on and off the bike, improving mental health, and fostering confidence, leadership, lasting friendships – all while leaving a positive impact on the world and fostering a lifelong love of cycling. NICA (U.S.A.) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that exists by virtue of generous foundations, donors, and partners, who help fuel its mission to build strong minds, bodies, character, and community through mountain biking.