National Interscholastic Cycling Association

[laughs]

We started our own little mountain bike team before NICA-

Yeah

... was even a thing.

Before NICA was a thing.

Yeah, NICA wasn't even a thing.

Uh, the shop opened in 2005.

In 2006, we had our own, like, high school mountain bike team that was just us, the, the teenagers that worked in the shop for us.

all about.

Top City Shred is a Topeka team of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association here in Kansas.

And we're a group, a non-profit group for students ages fifth grade to 12th grade that really teaches strong characters, body, mind, and communities through mountain biking.

So yeah, it's about mountain biking, but it's about also building your character, right? It is.

Yeah, yeah

... at NICA on the board-

Oh, yeah

... bringing high school mountain biking.

What a concept.

[laughs]

And now Aero is in NICA-

Well, well, maybe-

it was really cool they did soldier hollow did such a good job putting it on i was really impressed it was Just so many, just in terms of like organization and how the place looked and the course, it was just like an order of magnitude nicer than like the I cups I'm used to there.

The Nike races I'm used to seeing there.

And even the U S cups that I've seen there, it was, it was pretty impressive.

They did a good job.

But I think after state championships, especially like once you've taken a little bit of time, like maybe two weeks, just aerobic work, not actually doing intensity rides and then moving more towards a more towards a cross focus in terms of maintaining your fitness before you take your break in the winter.

Like that would be a great idea.

Or if you're just looking to have fun, I think, yeah, just go throw down on a Tuesday at the Tuesday weeknight cross races and then take your taper and your rest into your NICA race, you know, because those those midweek Tuesday races are actually like perfect timing for a NICA event, I'd say.

Yeah, I mean, that seems like it'd be really fun.

... showings and so much excitement.

I'm curious how the NICA side of things were.

Did the kids get to ride at all on part of the course, or-

Yeah.

So they had a NICA race that was the JV and varsity only, and I think it was capped.

I could be wrong.

I think it was capped at, like, 300 participants or something, and I heard that it filled up within, like, a handful of minutes.

Do you have any plans-

I've really, I've just...

You know, at the Soho race, part of the best part was running into so many post-Nike riders that I knew and were still friends with.

And they're just out there doing really cool things.

They're doing really well in school.