The Utah High School Cycling League — an affiliate of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association, or NICA — returns this summer with race days beginning in August. However, programs across the state are already registering participants, practicing and holding preseason events and clinics.

That includes the combined Bonneville-Roy Mountain Bike Team, which turned out en masse last month to restore the “Tornado Alley” mountain bike trail in Riverdale.

“The Bonneville and Roy Mountain Bike Team had a dig day where we put in over 180 man-hours cutting and digging and shaping and fixing,” Bonneville-Roy head coach Mike Staten told the Standard-Examiner on Wednesday. “The West Field Mountain Bike Team was there the next weekend doing more work. We held our first on-the-bike practice of the year there yesterday and it was fantastic.”

Securing the ability to continue using the trails, which have existed for years both on city-owned and privately-held land, is an issue that played out across multiple city council meetings earlier this year. In the end, it was deemed that a non-exclusive agreement permitting the use of the trails on public land — and allowing for their maintenance — by the Bonneville-Roy squad would be drafted.

Now, Staten and his fellow coaches are focused on growing their team, expanding the sport and making a difference in kids’ lives.

Last year, the team fielded a combined 115 athletes, including roughly 20 from the newly added Roy squad, per Staten. Right now, he says more than 90 participants are locked in for 2025. Registration will remain open through May 30 for athletes, after which registrations may be accepted for an additional week with a late fee.

Prospective racers in grades 7-12 (as of fall 2025) and living within the boundaries of Bonneville High, South Ogden Junior High, T H Bell Junior High, Utah Military Academy, Roy High, Roy Junior High and Sand Ridge Junior High are eligible to participate as high school or junior-developmental competitors.

Staten believes that mountain biking competition offers a uniquely accessible experience unlike that of most prep sports.

“Whenever I’m out riding with a team, I always ask myself, ‘Why would anybody do any other sport?'” he said. “This one is just so much fun, and it really is inclusive and equitable in that anybody can join.”

The league’s Elevate program empowers students who require additional assistance to ride bikes, allowing them to participate in events. Meanwhile, NICA’s Girls Riding Together program encourages the participation of female riders. Interested parties can also participate in a limited number of preseason events to see if mountain biking is for them, provided they have a bike that meets certain requirements and a helmet.

“NICA’s rules allow for a prospective student athlete to participate in up to three activities without registering, as long as their parents sign a waiver,” Staten said. Loaner bikes may also be available with advance notice, while supplies last.

Prep mountain biking in Utah has come a long way in a relatively short amount of time. Only 320 student-athletes participated in league competition in 2012, a number that has since ballooned to several thousand. Similarly, Staten and other coaches and individuals have built the Bonneville-Roy team from the ground up.

Now, though, after 10 years of coaching and eight years at the helm as head coach, Staten is beginning to think about handing off the proverbial keys as his son’s high school riding career winds down.

“The head coach training is pretty extensive, including all the courses in wilderness first aid and other things, and those have to be renewed every three years,” he said. “Next year will be my son’s last year on the team, and it’s also when my three years expires, and I have to renew those courses. It creates a logical transition point for me to train up the next generation of team leadership and have a seamless transition so that the program continues without me, but I will still be here to answer questions and assist if needed next year before I hang up the coach shirt permanently.”

When he does, he’ll be left with memories that will last a lifetime.

“I have not done anything more meaningful in my life. This has been a life-defining activity.”

For more information, including registration info, go to https://www.bonnevillemtb.org/ or https://www.utahmtb.org/.