About Expectations & Commitment

When is the team’s season? When do we ride?

The season kicks off in January and runs through May. Our ‘homefield’ is Joaquin Miller Park in the Oakland hills where we will do much of our riding. Expect one adventure trip per month to trails in the extended area – the Northbay, Eastbay, and possibly Santa Cruz. We will also be going to 4 NorCal League races this season at venues that can be several hours drive away (most families camp with the team or get a hotel, though some do drive the day of).

Our main ride time will be Saturday from 10am-1pm - races have their own specific timing of course. We also have a weekday ride that before Daylight Savings time is 4-5pm – after DST from is 5-7pm.

What kind of commitment is expected?

While Devo is all about fun, it may seem like your child doesn’t need to commit to attending rides. But, as you might already know, it takes a lot to run this program. Our coaches and ride leaders have invested a lot of time to get trained and certified by NICA. While we understand that some winter and spring sports have priority over mountain biking for some families, we hope you’ll consider our sport a priority for your child. After all, our goal is for this to be a lifetime sport for your child and family.

Being part of Oakland Devo also means being a good “citizen” out there on the trails, representing our greater mountain biking community. As such, you’ll learn about safety and trail etiquette as we are sharing our local trails with other users, like hikers and equestrians. Helping to maintain our trails is a way to “give back,” too, so we’ll organize trail building / volunteering opportunities and request your participation.

What is expected from parents/families?

You and your family can also help Oakland Devo in a number of ways:

  • Ride with us. Last year we started the season with around 50 kids. We don’t want to be in a situation where we don’t have enough coaches or ride leaders during a ride. Our kids’ safety is our top priority.

  • Raising awareness about the team, and recruiting any friends who have bikes and want to ride

  • Volunteering with any team activities or field trips

  • Supporting our coaches and ride leaders with any help they may need during ride preparation

  • Ride with your child. Families who ride together…

How do we train?

All of our coaches are trained, licensed and experienced with training kids to be safe, have fun and go fast on a bike. Many of our coaches also are wilderness first aid trained.

Anything Else?

If we didn’t answer a question you are wondering about, please contact us.