Helping youth find identity and purpose through mountain biking

Our Devo Membership is for intermediate-to-advanced riders ages 12–18 who are looking for an equity-focused, fun-loving community.

You can apply today!
Registration Deadline: Monday, February 2

APPLY

About the Devo Membership

Structured as an annual membership, our Devo Team offers a range of on- and off-bike programming, including femme-only options. 

Beginning in 2026, we will be expanding our Devo Team to include a Devo Performance Program (NRTH WERX), an application-based performance program for riders who wish to race. This program will be open to a limited number of riders.  

NCYD Femme Definition: A welcoming space centered on female identity and community. Our femme-only programs and events are open to individuals who identify as female, non-binary folks, allies, and anyone who wants to be part of a female-focused environment.

Annual Devo Membership fee ($300) includes:

  • Monday All-Team Rides (early April to mid-July)
  • Youth board participation and leadership opportunities
  • Community service events (4+ per year)
  • Social events
  • The Spoke: NCYD e-newsletter
  • NCYD team t-shirt
  • Access to purchase discounted NCYD team race kit (not required)
  • Option to register for Tuesday/Thursday bike practices 
  • Option to register for adventure trips
  • Option to register for strength classes 
  • Option to apply and register for NRTH WERX
  • Discounts from partners and local businesses

Devo Membership programming includes

New for 2026: NRTH WERX Peformance Team

An application-based performance program for elite level riders who wish to race. Open to a limited number of riders. Youth in this program are expected to travel to five out of state races, the USAC XCO National Championships, and be willing to hire a licensed training plan coach and adhere to the structured workouts.  Program Fee: $2,000 Applications CLOSED for 2026.  For more information, please direct your questions to performance@ncydevo.org.

Devo Trail

Age-based mountain bike practices targeting intermediate to advanced riders looking to increase their riding skills and challenge themselves to learn new skills.

Led by BICP coaches on Tuesday and Thursdays at various Metro area mountain bike trail locations. Two sessions available. Coaches will assess group skill level and adjust trail rides accordingly.

  • Devo Trail Session 1 (April 7 – May 15) – $300
  • Devo Trail Session 2 (May 19 – June 26) – $300

    Registration Deadline: Monday, February 16

Devo Freeride

This program is open to 9th–12th graders who have been on the team at least one year and have been approved by a coach to join. Approval for freeride is based on an assessment of rider’s skill (advanced), endurance (high), and maturity (able to ride as a community member who takes responsibility for other community members).  

Led by BICP coaches on Tuesday and Thursdays at various Metro area mountain bike trail locations. Two sessions available.

Riders must be highly responsible and prepared to ride rigorous terrain at a relatively intense pace. A rider who is new to the team may start in the Devo Trail program and move up to Freeride with coach approval.

  • Devo Trail Session 1 (April 7 – May 15) – $300
  • Devo Trail Session 2 (May 19 – June 26) – $300
 
    Registration Deadline: Monday, February 16

Devo Strength

Strength training sessions are 60 minute classes led by expert adult coaches focused on improving strength for riding while creating supportive environments for safe muscle building and positive body image.

Devo members may register for one or two days of strength training per session. Strength training sessions are held at the NCYD gym. Femme only strength available.

Program cost:

  • $150 for 1 day/week
  • $300 for 2 days/week

Devo Strength Spring Sessions: TENTATIVE
March 10 – May 10, 2026
(*no class April 1 and 5)

    • Femme JH, Sunday 5:00pm, 1x/week
    • Femme HS, Sunday 6:15pm, 1x/week
    • Mixed JH/HS, Wednesday, 6:15pm, 1x/week
    • Mixed JH/HS, Wednesday, 7:30pm, 1x/week
Key:
  • JH= Junior High (7-9 grade),
  • HS= High School (9-12 grade)
  • Mixed= all biological sexes and gender identities
  • Femme= anyone who identifies as female, non-binary folks, and allie

Devo Apprentice

This program is for returning Devo Team members that have been a part of the program for at least two years and are 15–18 years old.

Mentored youth coaches may work in our ParkYDs summer program (open to youth coaches ages 14–18) or coach middle school pods for our Devo Team program (open to youth coaches ages 17–18).

  • Devo Apprentice Session 1 (April 7 – May 15) – $300.
  • Devo Apprentice Session 2 (May 19 – June 26) – $300
    Registration Deadline: Monday, February 16

COMMUNITY

Our community is our youth, the parents and volunteers who support us, and the partners who enable us to live out our mission, vision, and values.

IDENTITY

We provide a safe space in which our youth can grow through cycling.

PURPOSE

It’s about more than riding bikes. It’s about helping our youth build a community for life.

Devo Member FAQs

Who can be a Devo member of National Center for Youth Development (NCYD)?

All youth ages 12–18 can join NCYD and become a Devo member. Youth should be active mountain bikers who are at an intermediate or higher level. 

“Intermediate” is defined as a rider who can comfortably ride green and blue trails and possesses moderate technical skills. Specifically we are looking for youth who are eager to learn, ride, build community, and have a great time in a fun, supportive environment.

If your youth doesn’t mountain bike, this program isn’t quite right for them. If your youth is new to mountain biking, we encourage you to check out Shifting Gears or Loppet Trail Kids programs/camps to gain mountain biking experience. Once your rider is at an intermediate or higher level, we’d love to see them become a member!

In rare cases we can accommodate slightly younger youth, based on their riding experience and ability to work together well with older teenagers. During intake meetings we will work with each youth and their family to establish if their age, level of experience, and goals are a good fit for NCYD—and if NCYD will be a good fit for them.

So much! First, you join a community of riders who enjoy having fun in the outdoors on their mountain bikes. You can also be involved in on-bike programming, strength programming, community service (yes, volunteering is part of membership), and social events. What’s more, you gain access to expert coaching to increase your growth and development as a mountain biker. 

The variety of opportunities allows all youth riders a chance to be surrounded by peers who want to do rad things on bikes, build friendships, be involved in the community, and gain leadership opportunities. 

Yes, leadership! NCYD members have access to leadership opportunities through participation in the Youth Board of Directors and engagement in community service and other activities. Because NCYD is a youth-led organization, youth gain the greatest leadership through being a Youth Board officer or member. 

  • All Team Rides (Mondays and/or Wednesdays from early April to mid-July)
  • Youth Board officer/member experience (can join after 1 year membership and at least 14 years and older)
  • Community service events (4+ per year)
  • Social events (ie., Kick-off party, End-of-Season celebration)
  • The Spoke: NCYD e-newsletter
  • NCYD team t-shirt
  • Access to purchase NCYD Team Race kit (additional fee)
  • Option to register for Devo Trail, Devo Freeride, Devo Apprentice and Devo Strength (additional fee/session)
  • Option to apply and register for NRTH WERX, a new performance program for elite racers.
  • Option to register for Adventure Trips (additional fee per trip)
  • Discounts from partners and local businesses

We accept applicants who are a good fit for our mission, vision, and programming. While we are a mountain bike team, we are so much more. 

We work with youth to build a community to find identity and purpose through the bicycle. NCYD follows a long-term development model that serves the whole person vs. only the physical aspects of a sport. We believe this approach is vital to overall health and wellbeing. 

We are looking for youth riders who want to be part of a like-minded community and who are motivated to give back. If this sounds like you, please join us!

We are currently able to serve around 100 members in the program. That said, if the demand outstrips our current capacity, we will do everything in our power to recruit more coaches and staff, ensuring we are in a stable fiscal position to increase our membership. 

Bottom line: we will not take more members than we can serve. We will fill spots on a first come, first served basis as applicants are a fit for the program. 

Being a Devo member means you are committed to NCYD’s mission, vision, and core goals. 

This includes regularly participating in any program/s for which you sign up; attending programs you sign up for; participating in community service, with a minimum of 8 hours per year (e.g., Free Bikes 4 Kidz, trail work, pop-up clinics, bike maintenance, etc.); and being an involved, active member of our community. 

Once you’ve been a part of our organization for one year or longer and are at least 14 years of age, we invite you to participate and engage in the Youth Board. We are more than a bike team—we are a community!

Registration is for an annual membership (Jan–Dec) and opens in late fall prior to the new year. While we do hope to accommodate all riders who are a good fit for our team, we may have to limit numbers if we have more demand than we can serve. In this case, we will fill spots on a first come, first served basis as applicants are a fit for the program.

There is a one-time annual membership fee to be a Devo member. There are additional costs for other programs that Devo members can sign up for. Please see our website for current annual membership and program costs. 

Devo members can sign up for the following programs:

Please note that some of these programs require an additional fee. 

  • Youth Board of Directors
  • All Team Rides 
  • NRTH WERX Race Team (application based)
  • Devo Trail  
  • Devo Strength 
  • Devo Freeride
  • Devo Apprentice
  • Adventure Trips

The Youth Board of Directors is a group of youth Devo members who have been a member for a minimum of 1 year and are at least 14 years of age or older. The Youth Board is a part of the governing body of NCYD and is guided by the NCYD Adult Board. 

Providing opportunities to serve on the Youth Board is part of developing our youth leaders through the experiences of being a part of a board, running a meeting, taking notes, planning adventure trips, and more. 

All Team Rides are about community, friendship, and fun while being good bike stewards and leaders. Riders should be able to ride at an intermediate level, which means they are comfortable on blue and green trails and possess moderate technical skills. 

All Team Rides are offered on Mondays and/or Wednesdays from early April to mid-July. This equals about 14 weeks of riding one or two days/per week. Rides are led by coaches and are between 1 and 1.5 hours long. Early spring rides start on paved trails and move to mountain bike trails when the weather permits. 

The Monday All Team Rides are located in the Minneapolis area on trails such as Theo Wirth, Lebanon, Xcel (until other trails are open), and sometimes Elm Creek or Lone Lake. Locations are determined by the Lead Coach and rotate throughout the season.

The Wednesday All Team Rides are on the east side of the Metro (Battle Creek, Carver Lake, Sunfish, Kinnickinic, etc.).

The Devo Trail program is held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6pm–7:30pm. These are mountain bike practices targeting intermediate to advanced riders looking to increase their riding skills and challenge themselves to learn new skills. Practices are led by BICP coaches at various metro area mountain bike trail locations. 

In early spring, practices may be on paved trails due to weather conditions. There are two sessions available: one in early April–May and the other from end of May–mid-July. Riders are grouped by both age and ability. Coaches will assess group skill level and adjust trail rides accordingly.

The NRTH WERX Performance Team is new in 2026, is application based, and limited to a certain number of riders.

Youth in this program are expected to travel to five out of state races, the USAC XCO National Championships, and each rider needs to be willing to hire a licensed training plan coach and adhere to the structured workouts.

Please email peformance@ncydevo.org with questions.

Strength classes are focused on improving strength for riding while creating supportive environments for safe muscle building and positive body image. Led by expert adult coaches, these run 60–75 minutes. There are four strength sessions throughout the year; members can sign up for one or two days of strength per session. All strength sessions are held at the NCYD gym.

This program is open to 9–12 graders who have (1) been on the team at least 1 year and (2) have coach approval. Approval for freeride is based on an assessment of rider’s skill (advanced), endurance (high), and maturity (able to ride as a community member who takes responsibility for other community members). 

Freeride groups will have a 1:8 coach to rider ratio. Riders must be highly responsible and prepared to ride rigorous terrain at a relatively intense pace. A rider who is new to the team may start in the practice program and move up to Freeride with coach approval.

This program is for returning Devo members who have been a part of the program for at least two years and are 15–18 years old. 

Devo Apprentice youth may work in our ParkYDs summer program (must be 14-18 year olds) or coach middle school pods for our Devo Trail Program (must be 17-18 year olds).

Adventure Trips are one of the greatest experiences youth can get at NCYD. These are formatted as optional day trips or multi-day trips that gather NCYD youth to adventure together over spring break, MEA, and during the summer. In the past we have traveled to such places as Sedona, Bentonville, and along the MN Iron Range.

We operate on an age-based programming model where we group riders by age first and skill second. First, we ride with our community and focus on having fun, socializing, and working together to create a team of strong riders. We sometimes have riders who may level up based on their skill; this is discussed with the youth and coaches and is not always a guarantee.

We operate on an age-based programming model where we group riders by age first and skill second. First, we ride with our community and focus on having fun, socializing, and working together to create a team of strong riders. We sometimes have riders who may level up based on their skill; this is discussed with the youth and coaches and is not always a guarantee.

New in 2026 we are offering an application based peformance program, NRTH WERX. If youth are not in this race specific program, we also support our community of riders who want to compete in series such as WORS, MNMTBS, WOW races and are currently working to expand our offerings. 

Our volunteers can help create these opportunities and spaces for community gathering at races with our team tent, snacks, and, as able, a basic repair kit for use. 

Awesome! We’d love to get to know you, your background in coaching, and availability. Please email info@nationalyouthdevelopment.org and tell us that you’re interested in coaching. We will reach out about our coaching needs and training requirements.