The North Carolina Interscholastic Cycling League is thrilled to offer our Jeff Archer Flight Crew (Loaner Bike Program) with the generous funds donated to the memory of Jeff Archer, founder and creator of the Museum of Mountain Bike Art and Technology , as well as First Flight Bikes in Statesville, NC.
Why “Jeff Archer Flight Crew”
Jeff was the founder and curator of the Museum of Mountain Bike Art and Technology, the owner of First Flight Bicycles and a driving force in the mountain bike community here in North Carolina. We lost Jeff way too soon but we want to be sure that Jeff will always be getting #morekidsonbikes in North Carolina. To learn more about Bicycle Historian Jeff Archer, read Bicycling Magazine’s article on his contribution to the cycling world.
Program Need
The National Interscholastic Cycling Association has a proven track record of introducing kids to mountain biking. Only 26% of our student-athletes had ever ridden a mountain bike before participating in NICA. 73% of student-athletes reported that their participation inspired family/friends to start riding bikes.
But organized cycling is expensive. One of our core values is the we are inclusive. That means that we need to do whatever we can to make this sport and this league accessible to all kids who would like to participate. We also know that somewhere around 10% of our members will need a little help to participate. We plan to address that need in two ways. The first is through scholarships for students and coaches. The second is through a bike loaner program. The first obstacle for many kids is that they don’t have a mountain bike or they don’t have a safe bike to use.
Program Description:
The North Carolina League offers a mountain bike fleet as loaner bikes to student-athletes who do not have a bike to ride. The loaner bike will be available for their use during the in-season time of the year, December-May.
Student-Athletes must commit to the upcoming season to qualify. Commitment involves registering with the League, signing up for their local team, and committing to riding for the entire season. Teams have constitutions that spell out participation commitments such as practice attendance, GPA, and code of conduct. Bikes are loaned to the student-athlete with a signed agreement between the League, Parent/Guardian, Coach and Student-Athlete.