Confidence through riding
GRiT helps girls build confidence through progressive skills, experience on the bike, and encouragement from a larger girls-riding community.
Girls Riding
GRiT and Girls Riding at Veloraptors
GRiT stands for Girls Riding Together. It is a NICA program designed to help more girls and young women feel welcome, confident, and connected in youth mountain biking.
Veloraptors welcomes both girls and boys across a wide range of experience levels, and GRiT helps reinforce the message that girls belong in this sport from the very beginning.
Community and belonging
New riders often stay with mountain biking when they feel seen, supported, and connected. GRiT creates that sense of belonging more intentionally.
Mentorship and encouragement
Girls benefit from seeing peers and mentors who ride, race, lead, and belong in the sport. GRiT reinforces that pathway.
What this means for families
Families often want to know whether girls will feel welcome, supported, and included on the team. GRiT gives that commitment more structure and visibility, while the day-to-day team culture does the real work of reinforcing it.
If your rider is brand new, nervous, or unsure whether they fit, that is exactly the kind of question we want families to ask. You can start with our FAQ or submit a join inquiry.
How it connects to the team
GRiT is one part of the broader NICA model. It sits alongside coach education, trail stewardship, and youth development values that make the Veloraptors program more welcoming and more credible for parents.
For more context on the league itself, visit What is NICA?.
Next step for new families
If your family is looking for a girls-friendly youth mountain biking team in New Jersey, start with our How to Join page and Parent Resources.