Georgia Cycling has made some exciting changes to the 2022 Race Series. The biggest update is a division of the series in to two conferences: East and West. The Oconee County Mountain Bike Team will be racing in the East Conference.
GCA is continually looking at ways to improve the race experience for teams, riders and parents. According to GCA, this change will allow them to maintain a field size that is safer and more enjoyable for everyone.
Splitting middle school and high school races over two days required teams to commit to an entire weekend of racing. Now, the weekend will be split between the two conferences. East one day, West the other, and the order will alternate throughout the race series.
The biggest benefits are:
- Our team’s middle school and high school student-athletes get to race on the same day. This makes it a lot easier for teammates and parents to watch all the race action and cheer on OCMTB.
- We get a weekend day back to relax or, of course, go ride!
The biggest drawback is that there will likely be less opportunities to camp–at least for the entire weekend. On the bright side, we’ll have more time for team dinners, something that’s been hard to do the past couple of seasons.
Overall, we think this a change for the best. Visit the Georgia Cycling Association to learn more about this change and see a full conference lineup.