Team and Season 8 Information
The Gunpowder Mill Racers are a youth mountain biking team, based in the Fallston, Md area, with members from all areas north and east of Baltimore. The team is one of 29 (and growing) in the Maryland Interscholastic Cycling League (MICL), which operates under the principles and guidelines of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA). We are currently preparing for our eighth season (for the team and league) and are excited at the growth we've seen and fun being had by our student-athletes!
The team is for any student in grades 6 through 12 (as of Fall of that season) looking to learn how to mountain bike or become a better mountain bike rider. While "racers" is in our name, there's no requirement to race, although we do highly encourage everyone to give it a try! The races are all about personal achievement rather than just being the fastest. This makes for a fun learning environment and builds a positive experience.
Registration opened April 1st. The registration cost is $325 and that covers the full season of NICA membership, insurance, the league's administrative costs, all practices and five league race/adventure events. Team apparel may be purchased separately. All riders need is a properly functioning and trail suitable mountain bike and helmet to participate. Some portable, basic bike maintenance supplies are also required. If a mountain bike is needed, there are many avenues to obtain one at a reduced cost, so please have a discussion with us. NICA student-athletes and coaches also receive sizable discounts on many bikes and bike-related products.
The season officially begins July 1st and runs into mid-November. Practices are typically held Monday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 5:30 pm to roughly 7:00 pm, weather and conditions permitting. Our practice time window shifts to 30 minutes earlier in October, to account for declining daylight. Attendance at all practices is not required, but new riders will need to learn and demonstrate a certain level of skill before participating in trail rides. Practices are typically held at Jerusalem Mill in Kingsville, Annie's Playground in Fallston, a few locations in Gunpowder Falls State Park, near the Little Gunpowder Falls, which is along the Baltimore and Harford County line and occasionally at Harford Community College this season.
Six race events are planned for the late summer and fall. Races are typically a weekend event, with pre-rides of the course and non-competitive activities typically on Saturday and the race on Sunday. Here is what is planned for Season 8 in 2025:
For basic team information and some pictures from our prior seasons, please visit https://www.littlegunpowder.com/youth. You can also find us on Instagram at @gunpowder_mill_racers and Facebook under Gunpowder Mill Racers. Some amazing photos from last season can be viewed at https://images.marylandmtb.org/Events/2024-MICL-Season-7.
For information about the Maryland Interscholastic Cycling League, please visit the MICL web site at https://www.marylandmtb.org.
For information about the National Interscholastic Cycling Association, please visit the NICA web site at https://www.nationalmtb.org.
For this season, registration for returning student-athletes opened April 1st and then for new members about two weeks later. In order to register, you must be invited by the team. Please provide a parent's name, student's name(s) and an email address to send the registration invite to, and send it to [email protected]. If we have roster space available, we will respond with an invitation to the "Pit Zone". Please use a parent email address for receiving the invite and registering.
Rider registration will require the following:
If you'd like to experience what a practice is like before committing, you can attend one practice by completing a waiver form. We recommend this be done only for our preseason practices and our early Skills and Fundamentals practices, which are typically held on Mondays.
If you're on the fence, here's what the Maryland Interscholastic Cycling League does:
Links to Highlight Videos of Prior Year’s Events:
2022 Event 1 – River’s Edge – https://youtu.be/gaXgtxO1E_0
2022 Event 2 – Deep Creek Lake – https://youtu.be/oG7-ikgrzyY
2022 Event 3 – Schaeffer Farm – https://youtu.be/01_9qtQxTtM
2022 Event 4 – Fair Hill – https://youtu.be/ykylC__DwYE
2022 Event 5 – Patapsco – https://youtu.be/EvnmAYcLyzo
2021 Event 2 – Fair Hill – https://youtu.be/JSUeoJIyHcI
2021 Event 3 – Deep Creek Lake – https://youtu.be/zAfTGkA8paU
2021 Event 4 – Schaeffer Farm – https://youtu.be/_crnV-f-KKk
2021 Event 5 - Patapsco – https://youtu.be/JhJE0LKIrkU
(the league hasn't produced many videos for the past couple seasons, but the experience is the same!)
The team is for any student in grades 6 through 12 (as of Fall of that season) looking to learn how to mountain bike or become a better mountain bike rider. While "racers" is in our name, there's no requirement to race, although we do highly encourage everyone to give it a try! The races are all about personal achievement rather than just being the fastest. This makes for a fun learning environment and builds a positive experience.
Registration opened April 1st. The registration cost is $325 and that covers the full season of NICA membership, insurance, the league's administrative costs, all practices and five league race/adventure events. Team apparel may be purchased separately. All riders need is a properly functioning and trail suitable mountain bike and helmet to participate. Some portable, basic bike maintenance supplies are also required. If a mountain bike is needed, there are many avenues to obtain one at a reduced cost, so please have a discussion with us. NICA student-athletes and coaches also receive sizable discounts on many bikes and bike-related products.
The season officially begins July 1st and runs into mid-November. Practices are typically held Monday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 5:30 pm to roughly 7:00 pm, weather and conditions permitting. Our practice time window shifts to 30 minutes earlier in October, to account for declining daylight. Attendance at all practices is not required, but new riders will need to learn and demonstrate a certain level of skill before participating in trail rides. Practices are typically held at Jerusalem Mill in Kingsville, Annie's Playground in Fallston, a few locations in Gunpowder Falls State Park, near the Little Gunpowder Falls, which is along the Baltimore and Harford County line and occasionally at Harford Community College this season.
Six race events are planned for the late summer and fall. Races are typically a weekend event, with pre-rides of the course and non-competitive activities typically on Saturday and the race on Sunday. Here is what is planned for Season 8 in 2025:
- August 23 - Soft Opener/Adventure Ride in Montgomery County, MD
- Sept 6-7 - Race #1 - Rosaryville State Park in Upper Marlboro, MD
- Sept 20-21 – Race #2 - Button Farm/MoCo in Germantown, MD
- Oct 4-5 - Adventure Ride - Deep Creek Lake State Park in Swanton, MD
- Oct 18-19 - Race #3 - Patapsco Valley State Park - Pickall Area in Woodlawn, MD
- Nov 1-2 - Race #4 - State Finals at Fair Hill in Elkton, MD
- Nov TBD - NICA Eastern Regionals at TBD (qualifying high school riders only can race, but all can participate in the event and festivities)
For basic team information and some pictures from our prior seasons, please visit https://www.littlegunpowder.com/youth. You can also find us on Instagram at @gunpowder_mill_racers and Facebook under Gunpowder Mill Racers. Some amazing photos from last season can be viewed at https://images.marylandmtb.org/Events/2024-MICL-Season-7.
For information about the Maryland Interscholastic Cycling League, please visit the MICL web site at https://www.marylandmtb.org.
For information about the National Interscholastic Cycling Association, please visit the NICA web site at https://www.nationalmtb.org.
For this season, registration for returning student-athletes opened April 1st and then for new members about two weeks later. In order to register, you must be invited by the team. Please provide a parent's name, student's name(s) and an email address to send the registration invite to, and send it to [email protected]. If we have roster space available, we will respond with an invitation to the "Pit Zone". Please use a parent email address for receiving the invite and registering.
Rider registration will require the following:
- Personal contact information
- Family and emergency contact information
- Health insurance and medical information (provider, group number, policy number, allergy and medication info)
- Optional family demographic data
- Secure payment for registration fees (Mastercard, VISA)
If you'd like to experience what a practice is like before committing, you can attend one practice by completing a waiver form. We recommend this be done only for our preseason practices and our early Skills and Fundamentals practices, which are typically held on Mondays.
If you're on the fence, here's what the Maryland Interscholastic Cycling League does:
- Fills a niche for students whose needs may not be met by traditional interscholastic sports
- Gets kids outside
- Welcomes and supports diversity in ability, ethnicity, gender, orientation, and skill level
- Promotes trail-building efforts and environmental awareness
- Improves focus and academic performance in our student-athletes
- Promotes health & fitness in teens & their families
Links to Highlight Videos of Prior Year’s Events:
2022 Event 1 – River’s Edge – https://youtu.be/gaXgtxO1E_0
2022 Event 2 – Deep Creek Lake – https://youtu.be/oG7-ikgrzyY
2022 Event 3 – Schaeffer Farm – https://youtu.be/01_9qtQxTtM
2022 Event 4 – Fair Hill – https://youtu.be/ykylC__DwYE
2022 Event 5 – Patapsco – https://youtu.be/EvnmAYcLyzo
2021 Event 2 – Fair Hill – https://youtu.be/JSUeoJIyHcI
2021 Event 3 – Deep Creek Lake – https://youtu.be/zAfTGkA8paU
2021 Event 4 – Schaeffer Farm – https://youtu.be/_crnV-f-KKk
2021 Event 5 - Patapsco – https://youtu.be/JhJE0LKIrkU
(the league hasn't produced many videos for the past couple seasons, but the experience is the same!)